Broken Dragon
by nikipinz
Summary: Ty Lee visits Azula in prison, and subsequent action. Post-war obviously Rated T to be safe.
1. Hollow

**A completely random thing that came to me, courtesy of a very pushy plot bunny, which is now in my kitchen cleaning out my vegetable crisper. **

The air in the dungeon was cold and dry. It smelled of filth and iron and the smoke from the torches that lit the musty corridors. Ty Lee's nose wrinkled unconsciously as she made her way through the halls. She knew her way; she'd come often enough. _Down the main hall, turn left; down the stairs, turn right; to the end of the hall, down another flight of stairs…_ She was getting close, now. She could see the door she wanted, guarded – as always – by two soldiers. They knew her by now. She didn't even have to ask; one of them was already unlocking the door for her. Ty Lee smiled her thanks and stepped through it. The door closed behind her with a hollow boom.

Inside was a small room, hollowed out of the solid rock. There was one torch in a niche in the wall. At the end of the room was a cage; the torch cast a little light on its occupant, picking out the occasional detail – a wisp of straggly black hair, a ragged sleeve, a white cheek, the flash of an eye. Slowly, Ty Lee moved forward, a faint smile on her face. "Hey," she said softly. "It's me again."

"Ty Lee." The voice was quiet. The acrobat could remember when it had been sharp and commanding, or as smooth as silk. Later – once defeat and betrayal and chains had broken it – it had been wild and shrieking, like the roar of a crazed animal. Now it was low and hollow, as if it came from a long ways away.

Gently, as if speaking to a frightened child, Ty Lee said her name - "Azula."

The changes in the body mirrored the changes in the voice. Azula had once been an imposing (if a bit petite) figure, all sculpted limbs and flashing eyes and perfectly manicured fingernails. She had never had so much as a hair out of place! Now she was filthy. Her black hair hung in tangled ropes about her face. Her limbs, once strong and well-muscled, were thin, the bones of her wrists protruding from the sleeves of her prison shirt. Shackles were fastened around her arms and legs. Azula had proved to be far too dangerous to be unchained, even after the Avatar had removed her firebending.

When Ty Lee had first begun visiting the former Fire Princess, Azula had shrieked at her, clawing at the bars of her cage. The acrobat had remained silently for nearly an hour, and then left, her former friend's screams still following her up the hall. Every day for three weeks had been the same, with Ty Lee patiently enduring Azula's verbal abuse. Then the shrieking had become stony silence. This at least afforded Ty Lee the chance to talk. She had kept it light – mostly chattering away about what Mai was doing, or something funny Sokka had said, or the way that Toph had earthbended a drunken suitor to his neck in the street and left him there overnight.

Gradually, some of the ice had seemed to thaw from Azula's silence. Over the course of seven months, she had even begun to speak – usually only single words, more often than not monosyllables. But the overt hostility, at least, was gone.

Ty Lee sat down cross-legged, about an arm's length from the bars of the cage. She could see that Azula was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest; she could make out the white streaks that were her arms, and the silver glint of steel cuffs. "It's the Festival of Agni tonight," Ty Lee said cheerfully. "There's going to be a fireworks show at the palace after dark. You remember those, don't you, 'Zula? Zuko says that the theme is red dragons. The Mechanist helped make them, so I bet they're going to be amazing!"

There was no response from the shadowy figure in the cage, but Ty Lee thought she was listening. "You remember the Mechanist, right?" she went on, her tone still bright. "He's the guy that helped us make all those tanks and war balloons and that big drill thingie that we used on the wall of Ba Sing Se. He's really a neat guy, you know! He made me this glider thing, and Aang showed me how –"

The prisoner flinched visibly. Ty Lee suddenly stopped, kicking herself. _Damn! I went and said the Avatar's name again. _She hesitated, then went on. "Anyway, I went flying with it. It's really awesome to fly, 'Zula! Kind of like when I did the trapeze at the circus, only way better, because there's no rope to hold me back." She smiled at Azula. "The Kyoshi warriors are going home this week. I did tell you they made me a member of their group, right? Yeah, of course I did. Anyway, Suki wanted me to come with them, but of course I told her my home's here. Not that I won't go _visit_ them, of course! Kyoshi Island's supposed to be a really nice place to live. Although there's some crazy sea serpent thingie living right near it, so it's not a great place to go swimming. Not much like Ember Island, I guess. But I bet we could still set up a net on the beach, so I could teach them all how to play –"

"Was it like this for you?"

Ty Lee blinked as the words died on her lips, shocked into silence. She stared as Azula moved – actually _moved – _to the side of the cage closest to her visitor, her bony hands gripping the bars. The torchlight fell on the prisoner's face. Azula's mouth was still tight and unsmiling; her eyes, almost black in the dim light, still burned with a strange intensity. Was it madness? The acrobat couldn't tell.

As the initial shock wore off, Ty Lee suddenly realized that Azula had asked a question. She replayed it in her mind, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Was…was what like which? What do you mean?"

"Prison." The former princess didn't blink. "Was prison like this for you?"

Unbidden, memories rose in Ty Lee's mind – the empty cell, the cold shackles around her wrists, the sneering guards, the pain of the fire whip. She had only spent a few weeks in the Boiling Rock. It hadn't been enough to break her, but it had certainly been enough to give her nightmares. She still woke up screaming sometimes.

Uncertainly, Ty Lee looked at Azula. "Well…maybe a bit." Her usually cheerful voice was now quiet. "I was chained and things, like you. But it was different, too, I think. I had Mai. And it wasn't…well, I wasn't there very long."

Still Azula's gaze did not waver. She seemed to consider the answer for a moment. "And I put you there."

Ty Lee's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah," was all she said. "Yeah, you did."

After a pause, Azula moved away, folding herself back into the darkness. The acrobat didn't speak; she wasn't sure what to say. She waited. _Will she talk again? _But the silence stretched on.

When it became obvious that Azula was done talking, Ty Lee reluctantly went back to her cheery chatter about fireworks and beaches. There were no further responses. At last, with a sigh, the acrobat got up. "I guess it's about time for me to go," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, 'Zula?" The captive said nothing. Ty Lee sighed again, then rapped on the door to be let out.

**Author's Note 2: To see an illustration of this chapter - nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-Ch1-Illustration-95880088**


	2. Solace

It was nearly two weeks before Azula spoke again.

Ty Lee was sitting in her usual place, just out of the reach of the captive, should she ever decide to take a swipe at her. "We've just hired a new royal chef," she was saying, having run out of things to say about what it was like to ride a flying bison. "You remember how Mai always loved fruit tarts? Well, she found this chef, and this guy's an absolute _wizard_ with pastries. Sokka says he's like a _cake bender, _which is kind of silly, but funny all at the same time. He makes these really awesome double-fudge chocolate cakes, and they're so good! Of course, last time he made some, Sokka and Toph sneaked into the kitchen and ate one before dinner, so there was only one chocolate cake when he needed two, and he had to fix some fruit salad at the last minute so there'd be enough dessert."

Pausing to inhale, Ty Lee stole a glance at the cage. Azula was lying down, curled up into a fetal position, her head resting on her arm. Her face was in the shadows, so the acrobat couldn't make out her expression.

"Your Uncle Iroh's supposed to be coming to visit this week," she went on. "He wrote and told everyone that he's bringing some special teas with him. There's this one Earth Kingdom plant that looks all brown and gross and smells like scorched milk, but when you brew it, it tastes like flowers, he said. Sounds neat, huh? Although I hope it doesn't make the tea smell like scorched milk, because I really don't like that smell at all, and it would throw me off drinking it."

Azula sat up. Ty Lee fell silent, watching, as the former princess moved closer; grubby fingers pushed through the bars. There was a moment's pause before the captive spoke. "What do you want from me?"

The tone was harsh, demanding. Ty Lee eyed her uneasily, wondering if the prisoner could reach her if she tried. "Nothing, Azula," she said gently.

Eyes gleamed in torchlight as the prisoner's head moved back and forth a little, something like the head of a cobra. "You want something. You wouldn't come if you didn't." There was a flash of teeth. "Do you want me to be sorry? Do you want me to cry and get down on my knees and beg you for mercy?" She wasn't so much speaking as spitting out the words.

Ty Lee wisely did not point out that Azula was _already _on her knees. She eyed the young woman's aura. In its prime, Azula's aura had been spectacular – a clear, royal purple, with flares of bright oranges and yellows. During her months in prison it had shrunk down to a gray that rivaled Mai's for dinginess. Now, though, it was red – red, like spilled blood – and churning with black, like a stormy sky. Insanity had done Azula no favors. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, 'Zula," she said, pitching her voice low. "I come to see you because I don't want you to be lonely."

"_Lonely -!" _Azula threw back her head and laughed. It wasn't normal laughter – it was high-pitched, brittle and false. Still laughing, the prisoner crawled back to her corner and threw herself down. The hysterical giggles turned to choking sobs.

The acrobat bit her lips as tears stung her own eyes. She wanted badly to throw her arms around the young woman's shoulders as she had done so often in the past. She wanted to hug Azula and let her cry on her shoulder! But she knew that wasn't possible. She'd seen the marks of Azula's teeth and claws on the flesh of a few guards who had gotten too close. She inhaled slowly, her breath shuddering. "It's okay," she said softly. "It's okay, 'Zula. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Whether her voice was soothing to the prisoner or not, she didn't know, but Azula's ragged sobs faded after a while. She curled her body back into the fetal position it had been in when Ty Lee had first entered; her bare arms moved upward to shield her head. The chains on her limbs rattled.

"It…it wasn't su-supposed to be like…like this." The voice was small, now, almost like a child's, and broken by the aftershocks of her fit. "I was supposed to…I was s'posed to be Fire Lord! I worked _so hard! _I tried-I _tried!" _A small fit of sobs choked her. "And then…and then that Ag-Agni Kai, and…and Zuko lost. He _lost, _and then he was alive! So I should have been dead. _Dead! _That bastard! He couldn't even let me die with my honor!" As she spoke, her voice grew harder and louder, until at last she was shrieking. Ty Lee tensed, expecting the captive to begin thrashing and screaming, but it didn't happen. Azula's body went limp again, and shuddered as she wept.

Ty Lee didn't know what to say. She didn't think there was really anything that she _could _say! An idea came to her. Slowly – with her heart in her throat – she shuffled over until she was sitting right against the cage wall, not three feet from where the sobbing prisoner lay. She rested her head against the bars, closed her eyes, and began to sing softly. It was a lullabye – one that her mother had sung to her when she was a child.

She sang as Azula cried bitterly. She sang as the sobs slowly grew softer, and finally stopped altogether. She sang as the prisoner's ragged breathing gradually grew more peaceful and even. Finally, Ty Lee opened her eyes, and the last notes of the lullabye faded into silence.

The former princess was lying quietly, her head resting close to Ty Lee's knee. Her eyes were closed – she was asleep.

With trembling fingers, Ty Lee reached through the bars that separated them and brushed the matted strands of black hair away from the pale face. Azula didn't stir. "Sleep well, 'Zula," the little acrobat murmured. "I'll see you tomorrow."

**Author's Note: To see an illustration of this chapter - nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-Ch2-Illustration-95714093**


	3. The Way We Were

"Going to see her again?"

Ty Lee paused in the hall that led to the front doors of the palace, turning toward the voice. A tall, thin figure stood in a doorway, dressed in a red gown with a high, golden collar. The acrobat bowed quickly. "Hi, Mai!" she said cheerfully. "Yeah, I'm going to see Azula."

The Fire Lady's face revealed nothing. "Why do you visit her so often?" she asked.

"Someone's got to." Ty Lee shrugged, avoiding Mai's silver gaze.

"She's still dangerous. You should be careful." The Fire Lady's brows came down just a touch. "You know how manipulative she is! She could twist your mind."

"You haven't seen her." The little acrobat looked at Mai soberly. "The only twisted mind is _hers. _She doesn't even really talk, Mai. She just sits there, or she cries." She smiled a little and shrugged again. "I'll be okay. Really!" Mai just nodded, then turned and left without a word. The acrobat continued on her way.

It was a fairly long walk from the palace to the prison tower that was now Azula's home, but Ty Lee didn't mind it. She usually found she needed the time to think, anyway. She went over a mental list of things to talk about, in case the prisoner again refused to speak while she was there. The lush landscape of the city gradually gave way to bare and blackened volcanic rock. At last, her feet carried her up the path that led to the imposing prison.

"Lady Ty Lee?" The guard at the gate stepped in front of her as she made to enter. The acrobat stopped in surprise, looking up at him. He looked rather embarrassed. "The warden asked to speak with you before you go to see the prisoner today."

"Why?" Ty Lee asked, a frown crossing her face as she noticed his discomfort. "What's going on?"

"Warden Makoto will explain everything." The guard bowed respectfully. "He awaits you in his office, my lady. If you will follow me?"

Well. _This _was a bit annoying. Ty Lee sighed and shrugged, slipping into her usual smile despite her irritation. "Okay, then. The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I can do what I came to do! Lead away."

The warden was a fairly young man, approaching his mid-thirties, with dark brown hair and a well-trimmed goatee. He rose and bowed as Ty Lee entered his office. "Lady Ty Lee," he said by way of a greeting. "Please forgive this…inconvenience. I thought it would be best to warn you before you go to see Azula."

"Warn me of what?" Ty Lee's voice was a bit sharper than usual. "What's going on?"

"There was an incident last night," Makoto said quietly. "The prisoner attempted to strangle herself with her own chains. My men had to go into her cage to subdue her, and she put up quite a fight." He paused. Ty Lee's eyes widened. "She has been restrained, and is no longer a danger to herself, but she's still quite…agitated."

"Is she all right?" The acrobat's heart beat faster.

"Oh, yes. She has no physical injuries, aside from a few cuts and bruises. I am more referring to her mental state." He stopped again, watching the acrobat's face. "You may want to reconsider seeing her today. I don't think that the princess is very coherent, Lady Ty Lee."

Ty Lee had to smile at this, albeit wryly. "She never is, Warden Makoto." He began to protest, but she shook her head firmly. "Thank you for being concerned about me! It's very sweet of you, but I'm still going to see her."

He drew himself up. "Very well," he said, rather stiffly. "The guards still have orders to let you in, my lady. If you require anything, let me know."

"Thank you." Ty Lee took her leave. Her footsteps quickened as she headed down the familiar halls to where Azula was held. The guards wordlessly opened the door for her. Steeling herself for what she might see, the little acrobat stepped inside.

The door of the cage was wide open. The prisoner was splayed on the floor of it, her limbs bound with chains. A leather mask covered the lower part of her face to keep her from biting. She lay limply, her face turned away from the door; Ty Lee couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. The gymnast moved forward cautiously to stand at the door of the cage. She could make out dark bruises on the white arms, and she thought she could see blood on her face. "Azula?" she said softly.

The effect of Ty Lee's voice was immediate. Azula's head jerked sharply to look up at her! Her eyes were wide and staring, the pupils almost lost in the yellow irises. "I tried!" she whined, her voice muffled by the mask; her body went rigid as she fought the chains. "Please, Father, I tried!"

For a moment, the gymnast hesitated. _She's bound – she can't hurt me. _Ty Lee stepped into the cage, moving slowly. "It's all right, Azula," she soothed. "It's all right…"

"It wasn't my fault. It wasn't!" The prisoner was thrashing in her bonds now, her voice rising to a hysterical shriek. "It was that Water Tribe bitch. It was her!"

"It's okay, 'Zula! It's okay." Ty Lee knelt down and began to brush her fingers gently against the captive's arm. "Shh. It's all right." Azula flinched at her touch, shying away like a spooked horse. "Shh," Ty Lee whispered. Her hand continued to stroke lightly over the captive's arm. Gradually, some of the tension drained from Azula's body. The acrobat looked at the young woman's aura. It was still churning with red and black, but the turmoil was slowly beginning to die down.

After a few minutes, Ty Lee spoke again, keeping her voice soft. Her hand never paused in its work. "This kind of reminds me of that one day back when we were kids. Do you remember, Azula?" She smiled a bit as the staring golden eyes looked in her direction. "I'm sure you must remember…"

_It was one of the bittersweet memories that Ty Lee held onto. There weren't many of those in her life, not when it came to Azula. Theirs was a strange friendship! Most of her memories involving the Fire Princess were tinged with fear, or pain, or drab and colorless duty. But there were a few moments of genuine tenderness, too._

_This was one of them._

_It was during a Spring holiday from the Academy. She and Mai and Azula had been playing together on the palace grounds all that day. Azula, in fact, had even skipped her daily firebending lesson in order to continue a game of hide-and-seek that they were playing. (Azula was always the seeker, and, by unspoken agreement between the three, always won.) Then Mai had gone off in search of Azula's older brother, leaving Ty Lee and the Fire Princess alone together._

_They had just been getting into a rousing cartwheeling contest when a servant had appeared, calmly announcing that Fire Lord Ozai had sent for his daughter. Ty Lee saw Azula's face turn pale. "You'll be busy. Should I go back home?" the acrobat asked innocently._

_"No." The young princess's voice was sharp. "Wait for me in my room, Ty Lee."_

_"Okay!" Ty Lee hugged her friend and cheerfully headed into the palace. She walked down one hall on her feet, and the next on her hands, flashing wide smiles to all the guards that she passed._

_She waited in Azula's room for nearly an hour. Ty Lee passed the time in stretching, and in trying to touch the top of her head with her toes. The golden light of the evening sun was beginning to turn red by the time the doorknob turned. The little acrobat looked up to see Azula standing on the threshold – her heart sank._

_Azula's hair, usually in faultless order, was mussed, and one eye was puffy and red. Without a word, the princess shut the door behind her, walked across the room – her feet padding on the plush carpet – and threw herself face-down on her bed. Ty Lee couldn't help but notice that she had been limping. As the little acrobat sat there in dismay, she saw the princess's shoulders start to shake._

_Even at the tender age of nine, Azula never whimpered. Ty Lee had never seen the princess so much as tear up! To see her lying on her bed, her face buried in crimson silk cushions, actually crying, was nothing short of mind-boggling! Impulsively, the little acrobat sprang up and threw herself on the bed beside her friend, wrapping her arms around her. Surprisingly, Azula didn't push her away. Even more surprisingly, she actually turned herself into the embrace, burrowing her black head into Ty Lee's shoulder. She was still shaking with silent sobs._

_Neither of the little girls spoke. Ty Lee held her until the sobbing stopped. Still, neither of them moved. Eventually, two tired children lay asleep on top of the flame-colored bedspread, while brown hair mingled with black on the pillows._

Ty Lee stopped talking, looking down at the shackled prisoner. Azula was still staring up at her, but her eyes were no longer wild and glazed. She looked almost sane! The acrobat smiled reassuringly. "Do you remember, 'Zula?" she asked. "It was a long time ago…"

"Ty," Azula whispered, her voice cracking in her throat. "Ty…"

And, just as she had six years before, the little acrobat stooped down and hugged her.

**Author's Note: If you want to see an illustration for this chapter, go to nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-Ch3-Illustration-95593407**


	4. Breakfast

Mai was sitting quietly by the window in her quarters, nursing her morning cup of tea in her hands. Ty Lee stood by the door, fidgeting. She could see that Mai was rather annoyed by her presence (she was always grouchy in the morning) and was ignoring her, probably hoping that she would go away. The acrobat hid a sly smile as she scuffed her feet, deliberately breaking the silence. Mai's teacup hit the saucer on the breakfast table with a sharp clink. "All right, Ty Lee. _What?"_

"I just want to talk," the gymnast said innocently. "Do you have a minute, Mai? –I mean, Fire Lady Mai?"

Suspiciously, Mai eyed her. "If you must," she said, with a world-weary sigh.

In the long course of their friendship, Ty Lee had learned to translate the young woman's dry sarcasm. This was as close to a welcome as she was going to get at this hour. "Thanks, Mai!" she said cheerfully, bouncing over to the table and folding herself up into the second chair. "I knew you wouldn't mind."

She waited hopefully. Mai sipped her tea, looked at her, and sighed. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

"Azula." Ty Lee kept her tone light, cocking her head. "How come you never go to see her in prison?"

The Fire Lady very deliberately set down her cup and looked at her. Her narrow silver eyes were keen. "Why?" she asked. "Have you two been discussing me? I hope you wouldn't do that, Ty Lee. You know that she's dangerous."

"We haven't discussed you at all, actually." The acrobat shook her head. "This is just me asking. You've never even gone near her cell since she was locked up. How come?"

Soberly, the Fire Lady seemed to consider the question. She was silent as a servant set out a simple meal of pastry and fruit on the small table. "I'd like to put all of that behind me," she said at last. "We're happy now. The war's over, and for all the work that still has to be done to keep it that way, we're at peace. I'm finally with Zuko." She paused. "Azula…she isn't exactly a pleasant memory, Ty."

"Mm. Yeah, she doesn't exactly contribute to pink auras, I guess." Ty Lee looked at her companion through her lashes. "But isn't she your friend?"

Mai huffed in mingled amusement and annoyance. "Isn't Azula my _friend? _Ty Lee, maybe you didn't notice, but she threw us in prison. And have you forgotten all those times in back rooms and such, whenever something ticked her off? Don't you still have the scars? I know I do!"

The acrobat bit her lips. "I haven't forgotten." She traced a random pattern on the tablecloth with her fingertip. "But that wasn't all there was to it, Mai. You know that as well as I do."

"I don't owe her a thing!" Mai snapped. Her eyes were flashing, now.

"Maybe it's not about 'owing.' Maybe it's just about being human." Ty Lee caught Mai's eyes with her own, her face stern. "Besides, you know as well as I do what Fire Lord Ozai did to her."

This gave the Fire Lady pause. "That isn't my responsibility," she said, her voice low.

"No. Of course not. But what you do now is."

"I highly doubt Azula's pining to see me."

"Maybe not. But I think she needs you."

"Why?" Mai was still angry. Ty Lee could see her fingers twitching toward the knives she kept in her sleeve.

"Because," Ty Lee said simply, "we're all she has." The Fire Lady fell silent. Her emotionless mask dropped back into place, but Ty Lee could tell that she was thinking it over. "Just think about it, okay?" She smiled a little as she got up. "I'll let you have your breakfast in peace." With a gentle pat to the back of Mai's hand, she took her leave.


	5. Unusual Specimen

Mai paused in the hall. She could see the two guards at the door to the cell that was her destination. Her lips tightened a fraction; she was beginning to wonder if this was really such a good idea.

For one thing, Mai had absolutely no idea what the proper etiquette was in this kind of situation. It had taken her nearly twenty minutes to decide what kind of transportation to take to the prison tower itself. The royal palanquin had seemed a bit too ostentatious to use in visiting a prisoner, but she didn't like the idea of taking a mere carriage. In the end, she had settled on the palanquin, after all. But how on earth _should_ a proper lady act when confronting a former friend (now a madwoman) in a jail cell?

The textbooks never cover the things you really want to know. They sure found the time to lay out fifteen different ways to drink a cup of sake, though.

She huffed, glancing back the way she had come. She had half a mind to just go back home, let Ty Lee whine as she might. But she had to admit that she was curious – she _was_ curious. Zuko had never spoken of the duel with his sister, beyond the fact that he had won. That waterbender had been a little more forthcoming. She had spoken, in hushed tones, of how Azula had shrieked and blubbered and roared like a captive beast, her mind completely shattered. Mai couldn't help but wonder just what a completely insane Fire Princess in chains would be like…

_Damn curiosity._

Well, loitering in a prison hallway probably wasn't ladylike. Mai drew herself up, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and moved forward smoothly. The guards bowed aside. One of them quickly unlocked the door for her. "I will knock when I wish the door opened again," she said calmly. Without waiting for a response, she stepped inside. The bolts of the door shot home behind her.

The cell was fairly small, perhaps ten by ten feet, with only a single torch for light. It reminded Mai a bit of the cell that she had been imprisoned in, although she'd had a window, where this place had none. There was a cage against the far wall. It was about four feet high, three feet across and six feet long. In the dim light, the Fire Lady could make out a figure huddled into a corner of it. It was too dark to really tell what the prisoner looked like.

There was a pause. Mai wasn't even sure if Azula knew she was there. "Hey," she said at length, her voice at its driest. "Nice place you've got, here."

Silence. The captive didn't so much as twitch.

Mai stepped forward a little, so that the torchlight could illuminate the captive a bit more. She could see that Azula's wrists were chained together, and that shackles also encircled her ankles. Her head was bowed, and long black hair shielded her face. The Fire Lady could get no sense of what she was thinking.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm here." Mai stood like a statue, her gaze never wavering. "The truth is, I was curious. They told me that you've lost your mind completely. So I wondered – what would a creature like you be like? How does the perfect princess react to being chained up in a hole?" Her tone was biting.

Still there was no response. The Fire Lady could see no evidence that Azula had heard her at all. _Huh. Maybe she's too far gone._ She eyed the captive for a moment longer, then turned away, rolling her eyes. _I knew this was a waste of my time!_

As she was about to knock for the guards, she heard shuffling behind her. She paused in the act. The captive's breath was suddenly loud, hissing in and out as if through clenched teeth. "Have you come to tell me how much you love me?" came the voice. It dripped with poison – and fear.

Mai turned back, puzzled. Azula was at the bars of her cage, glaring through them, her untamed black hair hanging in her face. Many times, Mai had seen Azula angry – but nothing like this! Her teeth were bared in a snarl, and her eyes were…strange. They were wild and raging, but seemed to be staring through her instead of at her. "Excuse me?" the Fire Lady said, taken aback.

"It's what you _always_ tell me. Lies. Lies!" The prisoner's knuckles were white on the bars of her cage. Mai was suddenly very glad it was there. "You come and tell me you love me, and you're proud of me. We both know the truth, _mother. _You've come to gloat over the monster in her cage!"

_Spirits above, she thinks I'm Ursa! _Mai was shocked, and more than a little disturbed. She hesitated. "Azula, don't you recognize me? It's me. It's Mai." The captive recoiled visibly, pulling her head down into her shoulders, snapping with her teeth. "You remember, don't you? I fought beside you. Mai and Ty Lee."

"Mai. I remember Mai." Azula drew back into the shadows, muttering. "Just like all the rest…she left me. She stabbed me in the back! Traitor…"

The former assassin's dark brows knitted. "Oh, yes. Poor _you_, Azula," she said coldly. "I'm sure you never gave anyone any _reason_ to betray you, did you?"

"All of them…the Dai Li…Zuko…traitors. Traitors, all!" The prisoner was still muttering. She gave no sign that she head heard Mai's words.

The Fire Lady fell silent, studying the captive. She wondered if the Azula she had known even still existed! She thought back to what Ty Lee had said the day before. _"You know as well as I do what Fire Lord Ozai did to her…I think she needs you…we're all she has." _She huffed a little, looking down at the floor, and scowled.

Mai was a practical woman. She always had been – pragmatic, dutiful and efficient. If something was a waste of time and effort, she simply wouldn't do it. Was it worth even talking to Azula anymore? It was obvious that her mind was gone.

…At the same time, though, she knew what Ty Lee had meant. They had grown up together, the three of them. Ty Lee had always been the sweet, affectionate, forgiving one – the one who could hug and laugh and bounce around without fear. Azula had been the dominant one, she whose word was law. And she, Mai, had always been the quiet, reserved one in the background. But just because she was quiet didn't mean she didn't _see, _and she _had_ seen, whether Azula had wanted her to or not. The occasional scrapes on the princess's face. The marks on her white arms – dark bruises, sometimes in the unmistakable shape of fingers. The burns on the nape of her neck, peeking out from the top of her high collar – burns she could not have inflicted on herself.

The assassin sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. _That's not my responsibility. _She had said that to Ty Lee, and she had meant it. Whatever had once been done to Azula, there could be no doubt that the former princess had fully earned her punishment. And yet…she looked back at the ragged bundle that was Azula, and felt the unmistakable pang of pity. _And yet, somewhere in there is that beaten little girl she never let anyone else see. Somewhere in there is a fifteen-year-old. Somewhere in there is a human being._

_Damn it! _Mai turned away, scowling. This was probably exactly what Ty Lee had meant for her to see. "Fine, Ty," she muttered. "I've seen it. So what? What do you expect me to do?" Azula was rocking back and forth, her chains rattling, her head bent back down; once again, her hair shielded her face. _Blast. I'm probably supposed to say something sweet and uplifting, or something. _She cleared her throat. "I…will ensure that you aren't mistreated," she said stiffly. "And perhaps I will come again."

_My duty is done. _Mai turned away and rapped on the cell door with her knuckles.

**Author's Note: To see an illustration, go to nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-Ch5-Illustration-96038155**


	6. The Art of Persuasion

"Well..?" Ty Lee leaned forward, her huge gray eyes bright.

Mai looked up from her desk. She was in the middle of writing a letter. She seemed to consider being annoyed at the interruption; then, with a sigh, she set down her calligraphy brush and turned toward the acrobat. "Well, what?" she asked tonelessly.

"You _know _what!" The gymnast squirmed impatiently, messing up the bedspread she was sitting on. "How did your visit with Azula go?"

The Fire Lady pursed her lips. "Well, she didn't threaten to kill me," she said philosophically. "I kind of thought she would. So I suppose it went more smoothly than I had expected." She cocked an eyebrow at her inquisitive friend. "What exactly were you hoping was going to happen?"

Ty Lee sat back on the bed, pouting. "Oh, come on, Mai. Tell me how it went!"

"All right. Let's see. What were the gory details?" Mai rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "First she refused to talk. Then she mistook me for her dead mother and accused her of being a liar. Finally, she referred to me in the third person – but she did remember that I had betrayed her, so I guess that was a good sign." She shrugged. "I confess that I don't really see what your point was, Ty Lee. She's clearly out of her mind."

"A lot of the time, yeah." The acrobat sounded injured. "So that's it, then? You wasted your time, you're never going back again?" She scowled a little.

Something flickered in Mai's silver eyes. Ty Lee watched the Fire Lady's aura carefully as she replied. "Yes, it did seem to be a bit of a waste of time, to be honest. Although I did wonder if we couldn't have her transferred to a bigger cage."

Although Mai's aura was thin and gray, the acrobat caught a few hints of blue flickering through it. She smiled triumphantly, and pounced on her friend's last words. "_Hah!_ Admit it, Mai. You felt sorry for her, didn't you? You remembered when we were all good friends, right?"

Mai frowned slightly, turning away and taking up her brush again. "I may have remembered a few things. What's your point, Ty Lee?"

Ty Lee's smile was wide and affectionate. She put her head on one side. "Mai, you don't have to pretend like you don't care. We both know better." The black-haired assassin huffed, scowling. "So now that you _remember, _and you can't keep ignoring that fact, what are we going to do?"

Again, the letter was forgotten. Mai rested her forehead heavily on her hands. "Ty, I don't know what you mean by that. What exactly would I 'do?' It's more complicated for me than it is for you. I'm the Fire Lord's wife. How would it look for me to start advocating for the most dangerous enemy the state has? It just isn't done."

"Mm-hm. Tell me another one." Ty Lee smirked knowingly. "He follows _you. _As if I don't know you've got him wrapped around your little finger. All you have to do is bat your eyelashes at him, and he's putty in your hands!"

"That's not true." A faint flush rose in Mai's porcelain cheeks. "Well, okay, maybe it's true _sometimes, _but…"

"But, nothing." The acrobat grinned at the success of her jibe. "Besides, it's not like I'm suggesting we should have her freed and moved into the palace, or something."

Mai's discomfort faded. She eyed Ty Lee coolly, her silver eyes calculating. It was the same look she would give an overcharging merchant, or an overly demanding diplomat. "Then what exactly are you suggesting, Ty? Get to the point."

"I think you should come with me when I go to see her," the acrobat said simply. "I'm getting through to her. I know that I am. She has more and more moments where she's _herself,_ you know? But I think it would help her more if we were _both_ there. On some level, I think she really cared about us. If anyone can bring her back, it's you and I."

The Fire Lady shook her head dubiously. "Look, I know you're all about the sunshine and the flittering butterflies and whatnot, but this is real life," she said. "Azula's _out of her mind. _Hugs and kisses and cups of tea aren't going to heal her, Ty Lee!"

"I know that." The gymnast favored her friend with one of her rare solemn looks. "I'm not so stupid as that! But I do know that she needs us." She hung her legs off the side of the bed and kicked them a little. "So, are you going to help me, or not?"

Mai sighed deeply. She turned her head slightly and gave Ty Lee a sidelong glance. "Oh, all _right," _she said irritably.

The acrobat grinned. She could see the corner of Mai's mouth twitching a little, and knew that she had won. Springing up from the bed, she crushed her friend in a bear hug. "Thanks, Mai!" she said happily. "I just knew you'd see it my way." And she frolicked off before the Fire Lady could think up a thoroughly satisfactory rebuttal.


	7. Tag Team

"This is _stupid, _Ty Lee." Mai was scowling as she followed the acrobat up the hall. "I don't know how you talked me into this!"

"Trust me." Ty Lee caught at Mai's hand and squeezed it. "I've been coming to see her for a long time, and she responds to stuff like this, okay? Besides, you promised you were going to cooperate, Mai!"

The Fire Lady sighed deeply. "I am. But I still think it's dumb!" She tucked her hands into her sleeves and huffed as the cell door was opened. The acrobat smiled reassuringly, and the two young women stepped into the dimly-lit room.

Azula, as usual, gave no immediate physical sign that she knew they were there. She was sitting on the floor of her cage, cross-legged, her chained wrists resting in front of her. Mai was struck by the pose; she'd seen it many times before. On their journeys together, Azula had always gotten up an hour earlier than her two friends, and spent the time in meditation. Then, as now, she would sit cross-legged, her back straight. Was she…was she _meditating? _Mai didn't think she could be capable of it anymore.

Ty Lee approached the cage cautiously and knelt down. "Azula?" she said softly. There was no response. "Azula, it's Ty Lee. Mai and I are here to see you!" Still nothing. With a sigh and a shrug, Ty Lee turned to the Fire Lady. "Well, come on, Mai. You and I can start things off, if 'Zula doesn't want to talk."

Mai grimaced, but moved forward and dropped gracefully to her knees beside her friend. "You start," she said gruffly. "I don't even understand what you want me to do!"

"Okay!" The acrobat smiled cheerfully. "I'll start. It's really simple. All you have to do is tell a story about something you remember from when we were kids." She paused, frowning thoughtfully. "Okay, I've got one. I remember us playing a game of Hold The Fort, with Azula against us. And you distracted her while I went and got her flag, but before I could get back into our territory, Azula set our fort on fire!"

A snort very nearly exploded from Mai's mouth. She controlled herself quickly – she'd forgotten all about that incident. "I recall that one," she said blandly. "Didn't that fire spread and almost take out a wing of the palace?"

"That's the one!" Ty Lee said, bouncing a little. "Your turn, Mai." Then, before her friend could speak, the acrobat leaned forward. "Don't mention Zuko," she whispered. "It upsets her."

"It _upsets _her." Mai's cheeks reddened. "It _upsets_ her?"

There were very few things that could penetrate Mai's mask of detachment, and still fewer things that could make her truly angry. But Zuko was very close to her heart – one of only a handful of things that she was really passionate about. Now, her eyes flashing, Mai turned her head to look at the silent form of the prisoner. "Okay," she said through her teeth. She was angry enough that she even forgot the guards who could probably hear her through the door. "_I'll _tell a story about something I remember. I remember being at the Boiling Rock, and _someone _leaving Zuko to _die_ in a boiling lake!"

"Mai –" Ty Lee's eyes were huge.

"And _then," _Mai went on, narrowing her silver eyes as she glared at Azula, "I remember _someone_ throwing both of her _best friends _into prison afterwards!"

The captive's stillness ceased abruptly. She sprang at the bars closest to where Mai was kneeling, trying to swipe at her through them, but was foiled by the chains around her wrists. "Traitor," Azula snarled, throwing herself against the bars like a wild beast. "_Traitor!"_

Mai rose abruptly to her feet, and started forward; Ty Lee sprang up and pushed her back. "Mai, no!" the acrobat pleaded. "Look, just try to –"

"_Traitor!" _Azula screamed again, clawing at her bars frantically.

"Oh, so you know me now, do you?" Mai sneered. "Who's the traitor? I'm not the one who tried to murder her own brother! I'm not the one who turned her back on her own friends and threw them in jail!" This was met with an inhuman howling, and a mighty rattling of chains and bars.

Placing her hands firmly on Mai's shoulders, Ty Lee pushed her back against the dungeon wall and pinned her there. "Stop it, Mai!" Her gray eyes were flashing. The Fire Lady was taken aback – Ty Lee was very seldom angry. "Just _stop it!" _Tears welled up and spilled down the acrobat's cheeks. "She can't answer for that now. We're supposed to be helping her!"

Mai was still fuming. "Well, maybe I don't see a point in helping her at all if she _doesn't_ answer for it, Ty Lee," she snapped. "Maybe I can't just wipe the slate clean and pretend that nothing ever happened!"

"You don't have to pretend anything!" Ty Lee's tears flowed uninterrupted, but she was still scowling. "We've all done things we're not proud of – _all_ of us! But she's the only one who's _really_ had to pay for it. Think about it, Mai. If things had turned out differently, you and I would be sitting in prison, too! How many of Ozai and Azula's supporters were executed and thrown in jail? And you and I were her generals! We could have been rotting in this dungeon, too – but we're not. You have everything you ever wanted. So do I, really! The _least_ we can do is try to make her life less of a living hell!"

"Why is that _my_ responsibility, Ty Lee? Answer me that!" Mai said coldly.

"Because…" The acrobat stopped. Her eyes dropped, followed shortly by her hands. She turned away. "Never mind, Mai," she said quietly, in a tone of disappointment. "Maybe I shouldn't have talked you into coming here. I just thought that maybe you might see things differently."

Mai drew herself up and thrust her hands into her sleeves, scowling. "I just don't see how we _can_ do her any good if we act as if everything is great when it isn't," she said shortly. "It's all her pretending that everything was perfect that put her in this hole in the first place, if your theory's true!"

Ty Lee sighed deeply. "There's more to it than that. And we're not pretending everything is great," she said patiently. "We're remembering times when we were _happy. _They did exist, you know! Even for _you, _when you're not so busy acting as if everything stinks all the time." She paused, cocking her head to one side and smiling a bit. "So can you play nice?"

The Fire Lady gritted her teeth and glanced at the cage. Azula had retreated into the shadows again, as was her wont, and was curled into a ball in the far corner. Mai sighed and let her head fall forward. "All right. I'll give it a shot."

Quietly, the two girls reclaimed their seats by the cage. Azula was rocking a little, her legs pulled up into her body, her head resting on her knees. The Fire Lady closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. "Okay," she said finally. "I've got one." Ty Lee rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward, her gray eyes full of interest. "I remember you and Azula going tree-climbing, and I wouldn't do it because I didn't want to tear my dress. And it was a really hot day. Then you wanted to splash in the fountain, because it was so hot; but before you could do that, a servant brought us all ice cream."

"I remember that!" Ty Lee nodded. "And then Azula dropped her ice cream –"

"And I gave her mine," Mai said.

"And then I fell in the fountain anyway, because I was pretending to be on a tightrope, and you pushed me in!" The acrobat laughed.

"You deserved it." The assassin's silver eyes twinkled. "You were splashing my new dress with muddy water!"

"You were being an old stick!" Ty Lee giggled. "I was trying to get you to have some _fun, _and stop worrying about your old dress!"

Mai chuckled. It was more expression than she usually allowed herself, but she trusted Ty Lee. "Not much has changed, has it? You're still the one who's always trying to get me to do crazy things – the spirits only know why!"

"Well, _someone_ has to." The little acrobat smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Just think how bored you'd be if I wasn't around!"

They paused. In the quiet, they were both uncomfortably aware of the silent third person in the room. Mai looked at her; she was still in her corner, unmoving. Again, she wondered how much Azula could really understand of what was going on. "Ty," she said softly, "I'm not sure this is the best way to go about this."

"Why not?" Ty Lee asked.

"Think for a minute." Mai's voice was low, so that Azula couldn't hear her. "If you were thrown into prison for the rest of your life, would you want to be reminded constantly about times when you were free? Or would you need some hope for the future, first?"

"I'd need both." The acrobat was solemn. "Those are the things that got me through being in jail! – Well, that and my friends, of course." She darted a small smile at Mai.

_That_ made Mai wince. Ty Lee had been one of the things that had brought her through her own prison stay – that, and the hope that Zuko would get her out. She cast another glance at the taciturn Azula, and thought she understood some of what was driving Ty Lee to try to help her. "She doesn't respond well when you talk to her directly?"

"Sometimes. It depends." The acrobat sighed and shook her head. She paused and raised a brow at Mai. "She might not like it too much from _you_ at the moment…"

"Maybe not. But I'm about out of time for today, and I don't like the indirect approach." Mai turned toward the cage, peering at its occupant. Golden eyes glinted from the darkness inside – Azula was looking at them, at least. The Fire Lady considered the situation for a moment, eyeing her. "Do you know who I am, Azula?" she asked at length, deciding to find out how coherent the girl was before going any farther.

"Fool," Azula said scornfully. That was all.

_Well, that response was in character, at least. _Mai repressed a wry smile. "I won't pretend that everything's fine between us," she said coldly. "I stand by what I said earlier! But you _were_ once something like a friend to me, and I intend to honor that. I will stand by you."

"I can't trust anyone," the prisoner snarled. It sounded a bit like a mantra.

"Yes, you can," Ty Lee said softly. She reached her arm through the bars. Mai went rigid, wondering what the captive would do. Ty Lee's fingers brushed against one of Azula's chained hands. To Mai's astonishment, the glowering prisoner didn't pull away. "You can trust us! We care about you, 'Zula."

Petulantly, Azula looked down. "Go away," she growled.

"All right," Mai said. "We have to go now, anyway. But we'll be back! You're not getting rid of us so easily." And they went. Mai glanced over her shoulder; Azula's eyes were still on them as the door closed.


	8. Lanterns

They were back once again in the dingy cell. Ty Lee was sitting up against the bars of Azula's cage, one hand grasping a metal slat absently as she prattled on. Mai was sitting cross-legged across the room, her hands folded carefully in her lap, watching. Her amber eyes were narrowed thoughtfully, but her expression gave away no more than that.

Ty Lee was going on about the upcoming Lantern Festival. That day, she and Mai had gone down to the warehouse where they had stored the elaborate lanterns and costumes for the Dragon Dance. She was babbling on about the colors of the costumes, and what route the parade was going to take, and the refreshments they were planning on serving, and on and on… Mai rolled her eyes, then resumed her scrutiny of Azula. The prisoner was sitting quietly, her legs stretched out, her eyes resting lazily on the chattering acrobat. Mai marveled. Azula's patience had always been very short with Ty Lee's babbling – even shorter than Mai's! But now the young woman was tolerating it. She even seemed to be _enjoying _it, at least on some level.

Mai's eyes narrowed a little further as she considered this. Much had changed in Azula's life in the past year. Everything – from her power to her friendships, even her very sanity – had been stripped from her. Maybe she _could _change – _was_ changing, in fact, if the former princess's current patience was any indicator! Grudgingly, she had to admit to herself that Ty Lee might have been right.

_This…might complicate things._ Mai let her eyes drift to Ty Lee as she thought. _If I'm really going to try to help Azula – and I promised I would already! – I'm going to have to get Zuko onside. And that won't be easy. _She felt her lips tighten a bit. _Maybe I can just work on him for a while. After all, I don't have to move him all in one go. I'll just start dropping little hints to warm him up gradually._

"…The best we've had yet, I just know it," Ty Lee was gushing. "We've got over a thousand lanterns to hang up in the square, and you should just _see_ what they're going to do up at the temple -! It's going to be amazing." She turned sparkling eyes to look at the silent Fire Lady. "Don't you think so, Mai? Come tell Azula about the temple decorations!" Sighing heavily, the former assassin got up and moved to where the other two were.

Azula turned her gaze on Mai. Her eyes were narrowed and glittering with suspicion. The Fire Lady returned the look coolly. She couldn't seem to think of much to say that wasn't either condescending or outright hostile; she sighed, searching for words. "You've seen them before," she said finally, her tone very carefully neutral. "Red, orange, yellow. Dragon-and-flames theme. Same old."

"Oh, come on, Mai!" Ty Lee protested. "There's new strings of lanterns, and a whole new tapestry…"

"…Which are red, orange and yellow. Dragon-and-flames theme." Mai shrugged. "Like I said, same old."

"_Mai!" _Ty Lee scowled a little. Azula turned her face coolly to look back at the acrobat. Mai could have sworn that she saw the ghost of an amused smile flit over the prisoner's crimson lips. "Don't listen to her, 'Zula," Ty Lee said crossly. "It's more spectacular this year than it's ever been." The captive said nothing.

The Fire Lady crossed her arms over her chest. She hadn't moved her gaze from Azula's face. "So this is the festival where the nation celebrates good fortune, family, and love. Have you given any thought to how you'd like to celebrate that, Azula?"

Ty Lee's mouth gaped open in speechless shock. The captive's golden eyes flicked abruptly to Mai's, beginning to blaze dangerously. Despite her filth and chains, she looked the very picture of offended nobility. "Perhaps," she hissed, "the esteemed Fire Lady has a suggestion for me."

"No." The former assassin shook her head slightly, her face impassive. "I really want to know. Were you planning on just moping in your cage and ignoring the holiday, or did you have any other ideas about what you wanted to do?" Azula's eyes narrowed into mere slits, her white cheeks reddening slightly. "I was curious, you know. Particularly about the 'family' and 'love' thing. If you could, what would you do about that?"

"You. Bitch." The young woman's nostrils flared as her lips curled up to bare her teeth.

Mai sighed, rolling her eyes. It was obvious that she'd gone about asking the question in the wrong way. _And maybe there had been a certain element of intent there, _she conceded._ She had to admit that she was still bitter toward the former princess. _"I mean," she said patiently, "that I can see if your brother will come to see you if you want. Or your Uncle Iroh?"

The only insanity in Azula's face at that moment was murderous hatred. It was obvious that she understood well enough what Mai was saying. "There's only one way I want to see either of _them," _she said, her voice sweet and even in a way that made her two visitors shiver. "And that is _dead."_ Her gaze locked with Mai's. "Does that satisfy your _curiosity, _Fire Lady?"

"Quite." Mai's jaw tightened. She turned coolly from the prisoner and bowed her head in Ty Lee's direction. "I'll be waiting outside," she said shortly. With that, she strode from the cell, her royal robes flapping about her.

Ty Lee was frowning when she came out of the cell. Mai followed her from the prison; neither of them spoke until they had left the main building and were heading toward the outer wall. Then the acrobat suddenly grasped the Fire Lady's arm. "Wait, Mai. I want to talk to you." Raising her brows mildly, Mai paused, tucking her hands into her sleeves. Ty Lee sighed. "Do you have to be so hard on her?" she asked.

Mai blinked. "Hard on her?" she echoed. "You mean asking if she wanted to see Zuko on the Lantern Festival? I thought I was doing her a favor. Part of her problem is that she needs to reconcile with him, right? You said so yourself."

The acrobat's face scrunched into a scowl. "You know what I mean," she said sternly. "You didn't word it that way! You asked her if she was going to celebrate, and stuff like that. You deliberately phrased it so she'd think about having to spend the Lantern Festival rotting in prison by herself. And then you brought up Zuko and Iroh like a sucker punch. You _know_ they're a sore point with her."

A slight wince twitched Mai's face before she could stop it. She'd always known that Ty Lee wasn't nearly as stupid as she made herself appear, but lately the acrobat's insight had been positively blinding. "Everything's a sore point with Azula," she muttered, looking away. Ty Lee folded her arms and raised her brows severely, and Mai sighed. "Okay, fine. You got me. I was sort of twisting the dagger a bit."

"A _lot." _The shorter girl's face softened. "Look, Mai, I know you're still mad about some things she did. I don't blame you for that. But if you want to help her, like you say you do, you're going to have to find a way to let those things go! I'm trying to get her to _trust_ us, and she never will if you keep on attacking her." The Fire Lady shot her a scowl, but Ty Lee held her ground. "If you can't do that, then I don't want you there," she said stoutly. "Azula's suffering enough without that kind of thing!"

When Ty Lee spoke in that tone, Mai listened, albeit grudgingly. She sighed again, letting her head drop a bit in defeat. "Fine. How should I act, then?"

"Don't. You shouldn't be 'acting' at all! You don't 'act' when you're talking to me. Just be who you were when we were kids playing in the garden together."

Mai's jaw tightened. "A lot of things have changed since then, Ty Lee. I'm not a naïve little six-year-old girl anymore. You're not the same happy-go-lucky will-o-the-wisp that you used to be, either!"

"No. But I'm still Ty Lee, and you're still Mai." The acrobat smiled a little. "_And she's still Azula." _There was a pause. The taller woman gave her a sidelong look, examining her face for a minute or so. "Now, I personally think that you owe her an apology," Ty Lee said calmly, turning away. "But that'll be up to you, Fire Lady Mai."


	9. Amends

**Author's Note: I tacked a little extra onto the end of the last chapter, so you might want to go and read that bit first. Now, back to your regularly scheduled new chapter! -**

There had been very few occasions in Mai's life where she had been compelled to apologize. Oh, there had been the odd time where her politically-minded parents had decided that she had smiled at the wrong time, or bowed ungracefully, or greeted some foreign diplomat in the wrong tone of voice. But she could only recall a handful of incidents where she – she, herself – had actually been moved to apologize of her own accord.

Almost all of those incidents had involved Zuko, now that she thought about it.

She was sitting quietly on a bench in the deserted officers' mess hall, trying to get up the nerve to actually do what she had come to the prison to do. It had been nearly a week since she had last come here. Ty Lee had been faithfully visiting the princess, as was her wont, but Mai had declined.

If truth be told, she'd spent much of that time struggling with her own conscience. Ty Lee's words had hit home, and they had stuck with her. Mai had tried hard to stay angry – to constantly remind herself of the long litany of Azula's sins. Even now, if she wanted to, she could recite them. _She tried to kill Zuko. She threw me in jail. She threw Ty Lee in jail…_ Somehow, the list hadn't seemed to have the same weight anymore. She'd remembered, disquietingly, the fact that she had been Azula's _friend. _As much as they'd sometimes clashed, and despite their eventual falling-out over Zuko, Mai had genuinely _liked_ Azula.

One thing that most people didn't know was that Mai and Azula were actually disquietingly similar people. There were differences, of course – Mai lacked the sadistic streak and the powerful charisma of the princess, for example. But the fact remained that the two girls had always thought in much the same way. When Azula had decided to choose an elite team of fighters, she had chosen Ty Lee for her speed, agility and fighting prowess. She had chosen Mai for her skill in shuriken-jitsu, of course; but she had also chosen her for her keen mind and political savvy. Behind closed doors, the two girls had often held long skull sessions, plotting and planning out every step in meticulous detail. Some of the ingenious strategy that had felled Ba Sing Se had actually been birthed in Mai's sharp mind! But the noblewoman had known her place, and had always been more than willing to give her princess all the credit outside of those private meetings. This was one of the reasons that she had lasted so long in Azula's service.

Once these memories had been unearthed, one thing had led to another, and Mai had finally made up her mind to reconcile with Azula. She wasn't sure if she could completely forgive the young woman – not yet – but she thought she could at least let her hostility go. After all, she had reasoned, the former princess was paying for what she had done now. She was paying in spades.

With a deep breath, Mai rose to her feet, adjusting her sleeves so that they fell properly over her arms. Then she strode purposefully from the room, heading for Azula's prison.

When she stepped into the cell, the first thing that struck her – besides the smell, of course – was that Azula was once again sitting as if meditating, her back straight, and her eyes closed. She turned her head in Mai's direction and opened her eyes a crack as the cell door clanged shut; a ripple of displeasure crossed her face. It was the same expression that had always made an appearance when, as the Crown Princess, she'd been dealing with lesser dignitaries. Mai hid a smile. "Well, if it isn't the Fire Lady herself," Azula said, her voice as sweet and cold as ice cream. "To what do I owe the great honor of a royal visit?"

_Good. She's coherent today. _Mai regarded her in silence for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I've come to apologize," she said at last, opting to be direct. "I was untactful and rude the last time I came here. It was unnecessary."

Azula's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. She obviously hadn't expected this. "Oh?" she said. "And what brought this on?"

"Simple. I told you that I was your friend, and that I'd stand by you. That unfortunately includes admitting it when I'm wrong," Mai said stiffly. "I'd like to start over, if you will, Azula. I promise not to be needlessly harsh." She stopped, grimacing as she swallowed her pride. "Please give me a second chance."

If it were possible, Azula's brows raised even further. Without uncrossing her legs, she leaned back against the wall of her cage, folding her arms across her chest. Her lips curved into a smirk. "Well, well. 'Please,' is it, Mai? I don't think I've ever heard that word pass your lips before." She cocked her head, her golden eyes gleaming with enjoyment. "You need my forgiveness, is that it?"

The assassin tilted her head back, regarding the captive down the bridge of her aristocratic nose. "I do not 'need' anything from you," she said evenly. She could feel the slow burn of annoyance; she kept it tightly in check. "However, I _would_ like to help you. You can choose for yourself whether or not you'd like the empress of the Fire Nation on your side, Azula. I'm certainly not going to twist your arm." The smirk dropped from Azula's face abruptly, and her eyes narrowed. Mai could almost see the gears turning.

At last, the former princess seemed to make up her mind. She favored Mai with a cool smile. "Very well," she said loftily. "I'll accept your apology, Mai. After all, a lowly prisoner doesn't get apologized to by the Fire Lady every day."

This was acceptable. The Fire Lady decided that a gesture of good faith would be appropriate. "Then I will ask my husband about having you moved to a larger cage," she said calmly. "I will return tomorrow to let you know whether he agrees to it or not."

"Thank you." Azula smiled sweetly.

Mai shuddered as she turned away. She much preferred it when Azula scowled – her smiles were positively predatory. "I will see you tomorrow," she said again, and knocked for the guards.


	10. The Art of Negotiation

**Author's Note: WARNING! LIMES AHEAD!**

Mai looked around the bedchamber, trying to think whether she had forgotten anything. Her eyes moved slowly over each item. _Red ginseng tea, lychii fruit. Amber incense. New silk sheets. Candles, dark lanterns…_ Everything seemed to be in order. With a nod of satisfaction, she sat down at her vanity and took up her brush, beginning to run it through her damp hair.

This had taken some work. Upon returning to the palace from the prison, Mai had immediately sent countless servants and slaves scurrying about the capital city, fetching and carrying and finding what she needed. Some she'd sent to the market for the red ginseng and fresh fruits that she wanted; some she'd sent to make up and air out the royal bedchamber. She had then slipped back into her palanquin and demanded to be taken to the best tailor in the city, where she'd ordered an embroidered black silk robe, to be made _immediately. _With much bowing and scraping, the tailor had assembled his most talented seamstresses, and the garment had been finished only four hours later.

With all this accomplished, the Fire Lady had again returned to the palace. There, she had gone to her husband's throne room, where he was holding court, and presented herself as a supplicant. Zuko had, of course, allowed her to approach the throne. Mai's lips curved a little as she remembered how she had leaned her head close to his, until her lips almost brushed his ear. "My lord," she had murmured, "I would like to invite you to have tea with me in our quarters tonight." He had caught her meaning at once; the back of his neck had turned quite a brilliant scarlet as he had granted her request.

Once that had been done, Mai had retired gracefully from the throne room, and positioned herself at its doors. The Fire Lord generally received last-minute requests and emergencies in the late afternoon, and these things often occupied him until quite late at night, what with all of the peace-keeping and restructuring of the empire that had been going on since the end of the Hundred Year War. Mai, however, had decided that the world could wait for one evening. She had coolly and confidently dismissed the lineup of ambassadors and dignitaries waiting at the door. One foreign diplomat had been quite put out, and had gone so far as to nearly challenge her. The Fire Lady had allowed a small amount of acid to leech into her voice as she had assured him that he would be heard the following day; he had retired from the field of battle, bested. Triumphant, Mai had then headed for her quarters to ready herself.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her brush pausing in its work. She'd had her waiting maids give her every beauty treatment they could think of, and she thought the effect was pleasing. Her skin, buffed and rubbed and anointed with creams, was fairly glowing. Her damp hair felt soft against her hands, and smelled of jasmine. She was wearing the new silk robe she'd had made; it was a lustrous black, the same color as her ebony locks, and had phoenixes embroidered about the sleeves and neckline in red silk thread. Mai smiled to herself, resuming the brushing out of her hair. _Zuko loves it when I wear black._ It felt odd not to be wearing her ever-present knives, but she wouldn't need them. Not tonight.

There were little twinges of conscience every now and then, of course. While this certainly wasn't the first time she'd set out to seduce her husband, it _was_ the first time she'd ever done so with any ulterior motive. She intended to ask him about the bigger cage she had promised Azula. Her amber eyes narrowed a bit as she drew her hair over her shoulder and continued her work, teasing out the tangles. As much as Zuko was a sensitive topic to Azula, Azula was also a sore point with her brother. Mai would have to be very careful as to how she brought up the subject. She imagined this would be quite the test of her diplomatic skills.

The door opened. Looking up into her mirror, Mai saw the tall, broad-shouldered figure of Zuko standing on the threshold. She smiled as she set down her brush and rose gracefully, turning to look at him. "My lord husband." Without a word, Zuko closed and locked the door behind him. Her heart skipped a beat as he crossed the floor; his hands caught her by the shoulders, and his lips pressed gently against hers. A soft sound pushed itself unbidden from her throat.

When finally the kiss broke, he pulled back and held her at arm's length, his golden eyes glowing as he took her in. "You look beautiful, Mai," he said softly, his voice almost reverent.

"So do you." She couldn't help smiling as she raised one long, white hand to the scarred side of his face. Genuine love flooded her – and genuine guilt. She sighed softly, slipping forward and laying her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for coming, Zuko. I know how busy you are."

He chuckled, his fingers weaving into and drawing themselves through her dark hair. "I'll never be too busy for you." She felt him kiss the top of her head. "Should we have some of that tea you promised, first?"

"As you wish, my lord." She dropped her lashes demurely, with a glint of mischief, as she turned to the table. "Will you do the honors?" He smiled as she sat gracefully on one of the waiting chairs, and took the teapot in his hands. A moment later, steam was rising off it. Mai slipped the red ginseng into it.

Mai made the first real move. When they had finished their tea (and fed each other the lychii fruits), she rose from her chair and moved to stand behind her husband, sliding her hands underneath his armored shoulder coverings to rub his back. Zuko sighed contentedly, moving his head so that her fingers hit the sore spots. "You're tense, Zuko," she murmured, curving her hands over his shoulders and beginning to unlace the ties that held the armor on. "Long day?"

"A bit." He sighed in relief as the heavy armor came off. "We're still having problems in the Earth Kingdom. Our settlements keep coming under attack, and they're requesting that more troops be sent."

"That wouldn't work too well in the long term," Mai noted, her brow furrowing.

"No, it wouldn't. It might even be viewed by some as an act of war." He tilted his head back so that it rested against her chest, smiling up at her. "Let's not think about all that right now, Mai," he said quietly, reaching up to draw her down for another kiss. "I don't want to think about anything but you."

"Irresponsible boy." She smiled against his mouth. Her hands moved to touch him, her palms moving slowly up the broad, flat planes of his chest, finally resting on his shoulders again. She felt his fingers closing over hers, holding them against him; she breathed a sigh of contentment, moving her face away from his a little. "I love you," she whispered, moving her lips next to his unscarred ear.

The Fire Lord rose from his seat, turning and abruptly catching his wife around the waist. She couldn't restrain a little squeal of laughter as he carried her across the room, dropping her at last so that she fell across the bed. Mai sat up again, tilting her head back in mock offense. "My lord, this is unseemly behavior."

"I'll show _you_ unseemly." He grinned, catching her by the shoulders as he threw himself onto the bed so that he dragged her down with him.

She laughed and swatted at him lightly as he covered her neck with kisses. "Zuko, stop a minute. _Zuko!" - _As he pulled open the collar of her robe, baring her creamy shoulders, and bit down lightly on one of them. She gasped helplessly for a second. "Zuko, please wait. I need to ask you something."

"Mm?" He raised his eyes, wide with mock innocence, to hers. "And what can I do for you, milady?"

Mai giggled in spite of herself, threading her fingers into his black hair, and gently pulled out his topknot. He was still smiling, the fingers of his right hand sliding gently up and down her side. She leaned into him, kissing his cheek warmly. "You know Ty Lee and I have been visiting your sister in prison," she murmured.

"Mm-hmm." His eyes flickered a little, but his hand continued its slow caress.

"Well, I guess I feel a bit badly for her," Mai went on, brushing her lips down his jaw and the side of his neck. "I wondered if you could have her put into a bigger cage? Maybe one more like the one your father's imprisoned in."

Abruptly, the caresses stopped. Mai felt herself caught by the upper arms and pushed away. She gasped, and found herself sitting up and looking into her husband's face. Zuko's brow was furrowed, and his amber eyes were narrowed as he studied her. His grip on her arms was almost painful. She felt a faint stab of fear. "A bigger cage," he said at length. "You're asking me to grant concessions – to _Azula. _What next, Mai? Take her chains off? Give her a room in the palace? Give her my _throne?"_

"No! Of course not. Don't be ridiculous, Zuko." The black-haired girl frowned a little. "She's never going to see the outside of a prison cell again. Nor should she! But I don't see why you have to be needlessly cruel to her. She's spent nearly a year in a cage she can't even stand up in." His face was still hard and suspicious. Mai sighed and rested a hand against his cheek. "Zuko," she said gently, "I'm on your side. I'd give my life for you. You know that."

The Fire Lord sighed. She felt the muscles of his arms relax, and his painful grip on her loosened. He was still frowning. "You have to know how this looks, Mai. You and Ty Lee served her for a long time. Both of you go to see her in prison – Ty Lee's gone almost every day since she was locked up, in fact. And now you ask me this?" He paused. "Whether she's crazy or not, there are still a lot of people in this nation who preferred her over me, and who still would. I don't have a death grip on this kingdom. You of all people should know that." He shook her lightly. "I have to know that you stand with me, Mai. I have to _know_ that."

The former assassin felt her face twist with pain. She steeled herself against it for a moment before opening her mouth again. "I turned on her at the Boiling Rock. I chose you over her then, Zuko. I did it without hesitating, I did it in public, and I did it in front of both of you, even though I knew that it was probably going to cost me my life. And afterwards, when she questioned me, I told her exactly why I had done it. I went to prison for you. I married you. After all of that, do you really think that I'd turn on you now?" There was still some doubt in his face, but it had faded a good deal. "Zuko, I'm on your side. I always will be. I told you why I was asking this – I told you the truth."

Slowly, the fire faded from Zuko's eyes. He slowly pulled her close to him again and pressed his lips to the skin of her throat, just beneath the corner of her jaw. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "All right," he said, his breath tingling against her skin as his lips moved. "She can have her bigger cage, Mai." He nipped lightly, making her murmur with pleasure. "But you owe me."

There was a new note in his voice. The Fire Lady felt the hurt fading a little. "Do I, now?" She pulled back and regarded him. "And just what sort of a favor will you require of me, my lord?"

"I'll let you know." He was smiling again. "I'm sure I'll think of something." His arms slipped around her, drawing her in so that her head rested against his chest. "I'll think of something…" His lips met hers, and she surrendered herself to his touch.

**Author's Note: If you want to see an illustration for this chapter, go to nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-C10-Illustration-95395488  
**


	11. Taming a Dragon

When Mai stepped out of the palace, she saw that her palanquin was waiting for her. A young woman dressed in pink smiled at her from the bottom of the steps. "There you are!" Ty Lee said, waving happily. "I was just thinking about coming to get you."

The Fire Lady nodded briefly as she passed the acrobat. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I had to deal with something." As the lady of the palace, it was Mai's job to oversee all of the house staff, both slave and free. There had been some excitement that morning; one of Mai's maids had been accused of stealing. The Fire Lady had wound up having to resolve the situation herself. The item in question – a ruby brooch – had eventually been found in the girl's room, and she had been sent packing in consequence. "Let's get going," she said, seating herself on the silk cushion. The four palanquin-bearers started forward. Ty Lee fell into step beside it.

"Do you think the bigger cage will have made her happier?" the acrobat asked. "I think it will make her feel better."

"I don't know," Mai said cautiously. "I would think so. She seemed glad enough when I promised it to her." She paused, glancing at her friend. "So what's the plan today, Ty Lee? More childhood reminiscences?"

The gymnast smiled and shrugged. "I dunno. Sometimes I play it by ear, y'know? It all depends on what Azula wants to do." She turned her gray eyes back on their path. "It kind of depends on whether she's talking or not, too."

"She was talking yesterday," Mai pointed out.

"Doesn't mean anything. She goes in fits and starts. She'll be almost herself, and then suddenly start talking about traitors and enemies and the glory of the Fire Nation and stuff, and then just wig out and start seeing things that aren't there." Ty Lee shrugged helplessly. "I wish I was a waterbender sometimes, because then maybe I could heal her."

Mai shook her head. "That wouldn't help," she said quietly. "Healers only heal the body, and Azula's wounds aren't physical."

"Some of them are." The acrobat looked at her again. "Have you seen her arms, where the chains are? They're just one big bloody bruise." She paused. "You don't think you could persuade Zuko to take them off, do you?"

"No." Mai's face was impassive. "I got her the bigger cage, and that's all I can do for the moment, Ty. She'll just have to make do." _Besides, Zuko pretty much accused me of being a traitor already. I don't know what he'd do if I asked him to do more for her. _"Let's just concentrate on…well, cheering her up. All right?"

"Okay." Ty Lee nodded, but Mai knew from her tone that this was going to come up again. "Hey, do you think she'd like it if we brought her some fire flakes? She always used to like those. Or maybe a few of those cinnamon candies?" The acrobat went off on one of her longwinded babblings. Mai sighed and let her prattle.

They finally reached the prison tower. The Fire Lady stepped regally from her palanquin and straightened her robe. She glanced at Ty Lee, who had finally stopped talking long enough to take a breath. "Ready?" she said calmly. The cheerful girl nodded, and they headed through the outer courtyard together.

As they approached the main doors of the prison, a man came out to meet them. Mai recognized the gray eyes and neatly-trimmed goatee of Warden Makoto; she stopped walking and allowed him to approach her, tilting her head back slightly. Beside her, Ty Lee paused as well. The warden bowed deeply. "Your highness – and Lady Ty Lee," he said politely. "Please forgive the interruption, but perhaps now is not such a good time for you to visit the former Fire Princess."

"And why not?" Mai's brows lowered a fraction. She allowed just the hint of an edge to creep into her voice.

He hesitated. "She is having one of her _episodes, _your highness," he explained. "I just sent my men to contain her a minute or two ago. It may take them a while to get her under control." He paused. "It's not safe," he said. "She's very violent…"

"I think we can handle it." Mai waved him aside with her long fingers. "Thank you for your concern, Warden Makoto, and for your warning. We will certainly be careful."

Ty Lee's eyes were wet. "Poor Azula!" she cried softly. "Come on, Mai, let's hurry." She practically sprinted in the doors. Mai followed at a brisk walk, slipping her hands into her sleeves as she did so.

There was certainly some kind of action happening in Azula's cell. The two women could hear shouts long before they could see the cell door; the prisoner's piercing shrieks rose over all the other voices. "You think you've won? _You think you've won? _Fools – fools and traitors, all of you. I am your master. Bow down!" There came a crash of metal against metal. "Father…_Father! _Don't go! Don't leave me here…let go of me, you peasants, let me _go!" _Then the screaming grew inarticulate and muffled. Mai guessed that a muzzle had finally been forced over Azula's face. They turned the final corner; the short hall that led to the prison of the former princess came into view.

The cell door was wide open, revealing the struggle going on inside. There was a virtual dogpile of guards in Azula's cage. The captive wasn't even visible under the thrashing mass of soldiers. Mai paused, watching. She felt Ty Lee's arm slip through hers and cling to it; she could feel the acrobat trembling. The struggle went on. One of the guards went flying backward out of the knot of people, smashing against the bars of the cage; Mai winced. _Good thing they're wearing armor._

Finally, the fighting stopped. The weary guards began to make their way out of the open cell. A couple of them were limping; some were bleeding. Mai counted six of them. It didn't surprise her that it had taken that many. Azula had always been a skilled fighter, and she was a force to be reckoned with, with or without her firebending. She calmly pulled her arm from Ty Lee's grasp and made her way forward. One of the guards – an older man with a captain's stripe – saw her coming, and quickly stood at attention. "Your highness!" he said, his eyes widening. He glanced back at the cell he had just left. "It's…Fire Lady Mai, it's not safe to…"

"Lady Ty Lee and I have been made aware of the risks." Mai flicked her hand dismissively. "Thank you for your concern, Captain, but we can take care of ourselves." He didn't move; his face twisted in alarm and bewilderment as he wavered between obeying and protecting her. The Fire Lady looked at him coolly and raised one elegant brow. Without another word, the captain stepped aside, bowing low. The two women stepped into the cell.

The captive was down on the floor of the cage, her arms and legs spread out and chained tightly. The leather mask was strapped to her face. She was thrashing and howling like a caged animal, beating her head against the floor in her rage. Mai could see fresh blood in several places; there was mottled bruising on what was visible of her limbs. The young monarch stopped, taken aback. _What do I do with this? _she wondered.

Ty Lee took the lead. Pale and shaky, she nonetheless turned to the guard captain, who was still hovering near them. "Please leave us alone with her," she said politely. "She knows us, and I know we can calm her down." Then, as he protested, the acrobat smiled. "It's so sweet of you to be concerned! I'll be sure to call for you if we need you." With that, she fairly ushered him from the room. The door closed. The moment they were alone, she turned to Mai, all business. "Come on, Mai. I know how to deal with this."

"What are you going to do?" The Fire Lady watched uncertainly as the gymnast went into the cage and knelt down beside the shrieking prisoner.

"Comfort her, of course." Ty Lee motioned. "Come on, Mai. Don't just stand there." Uncomfortably, Mai slipped into the cage, then hesitated. The acrobat gestured impatiently. "Down here," she instructed. "It'll help if we touch her. You just have to be really gentle, okay?" Still more awkwardly, the Fire Lady knelt down. Ty Lee caught Azula's thrashing head and held it gently but firmly between her hands; the prisoner's screams increased in volume. Mai watched as the acrobat leaned over and began to murmur into Azula's ear.

At first, it seemed to have no effect. The Fire Lady was struck by the captive's wild eyes; they were wide and glaring, flicking around the room, seemingly at random. Her pinioned limbs strained and jerked at the chains that held them. Mai shivered. _Gods, Ty. She's insane. She's completely and utterly insane…what on earth can we do for her? _Her narrow eyes moved to Ty Lee. The acrobat was still speaking softly to Azula, a look of intense concentration on her round face. Slowly, the captive's shrieks grew softer, and the thrashing of her body grew weaker. Ty Lee murmured on. Azula's cries became soft sobs. Finally she stopped fighting the shackles.

Only then did Ty Lee raise her head a bit. "Pat her arm or something, Mai," she said, her voice low. "Just be gentle." Mai couldn't resist glancing at the cell door to see if they were being watched – the observation panel was tightly shut. With a deep breath, the Fire Lady slowly reached down and began to awkwardly brush Azula's arm with her fingertips. She couldn't really see any result from this, but Ty Lee smiled encouragingly and looked down at the captive. "You're okay, 'Zula. See? Mai and I are here. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The acrobat kept murmuring long after Azula stopped crying. At last, she stopped, releasing the captive's head and sitting up on her heels. Mai pulled her hand back and looked down. The prisoner's eyes were closed, and the hard lines of her face were softened in sleep.

"I guess we're done." Ty Lee shrugged and raised a small, sad smile to Mai. "She'll probably be out for hours, now. We won't be able to do anything more with her today."

"I'm amazed you did that much," Mai remarked dryly, rising to her feet. She was, frankly, pretty shaken. Simply hearing about Azula's screaming fits was one thing; seeing one was definitely another. She didn't speak again until they were walking through the outer courtyard of the prison. "Does she…" She hesitated. "Does Azula get that way often?"

Ty Lee made a face. "Well, at first she was like that constantly. But then she suddenly got really quiet, and wouldn't talk at all for the longest time." She shrugged. "Lately, I guess she's been having fits more often. I don't know exactly why. She's always screaming stuff about her mom, or her dad, and things about traitors." She cocked a bright eye at her friend. "But maybe she'd feel better if she wasn't chained so much -?"

Mai fell silent again, and stopped walking to think. Ty Lee looked at her inquiringly; the Fire Lady was quiet for a minute or two. At last, Mai sighed and looked around to make sure that they were alone. "Ty Lee, I need to explain something to you. It can't go any further than your own ears, you understand?" The acrobat nodded agreeably. "I don't think I can get Zuko to do anything more for her," she said quietly. "It's not that I don't want to – it's that I can't."

"Why not?" Ty Lee wanted to know.

The assassin sighed. "When I asked him about the bigger cage, he was…angry," she admitted. "He practically accused me of betraying him. He's just too sensitive about her for me to broach the subject right now."

"But you could maybe persuade him to –"

"No, Ty." Mai held up a hand to stop her. "I'll keep coming to see her every now and then. I'll see that the guards don't harass her. I'll even let you bring her fire flakes, or whatever you were going on about before. But I can't do anything about her chains, or her cell, or anything else of that nature. All right?"

The acrobat looked disappointed, but she hung her head and nodded sadly. "Okay, Mai," she said softly.

"I'm…sorry." The Fire Lady looked away as she said it, her lips tightening. Then, with a sigh, "Come on, Ty Lee. Let's go home." With another quiet nod, the gymnast followed her toward the waiting palanquin.


	12. Ultimatum

It had been weeks since Mai had begun accompanying Ty Lee in visiting the former Fire Princess. The Fire Lady didn't go every time, of course; the acrobat continued to visit Azula daily, and Mai simply didn't have that much free time.

The Fire Lady was sitting at her desk, going through a stack of books and papers nearly a foot high. They were international documents – treaties, trade agreements, grievances, histories and the like. Zuko had asked her to be in attendance at the next meeting of the Four Nations, so that she could give him her input. She had agreed, of course. But, in order to give him any worthwhile feedback, she had to know as much as possible about the issues they were going to be discussing. She'd been researching for days, on top of all her regular duties. With a sigh, she ran her finger down the margin of the Four Nations' Treaty of Sozin's Comet, found a passage of interest, and began to take notes. _Article Three: Land and Cities Returned to the Earth Kingdom by the Fire Nation. Item One: Omashu, one of the largest cities in the Earth Kingdom, second only to Ba Sing Se…_

There came a soft knock at the door. Mai paused in her writing, her brows lowering in irritation. "I'm busy," she said sharply. "I don't wish to be disturbed."

"Mai? It's me," came Ty Lee's timid voice. "Can I talk to you?"

From the young woman's tone, Mai could tell that something was wrong. She rubbed her eyes and put her calligraphy brush away. _Well, I guess that the saga of New Ozai and Omashu can wait for a few minutes. _"Come in, Ty." The door slowly opened, and Ty Lee slipped inside, shutting it behind her. Her gray eyes were wide and misted. Mai looked at her for a moment. "Is everything all right?" she asked quietly.

"No." The acrobat sat down at Mai's feet, resting her head against her knees. The Fire Lady glanced at the door to make sure it was closed, then gently laid her hand on the girl's brown head. It was as close to a caress as Mai ever really got – with anyone other than Zuko, that is. There was silence for a while. "It was a year ago today," Ty Lee said softly.

The Fire Lady blinked. "What was?" She thought quickly. "The anniversary of the end of the war? No, that was last week."

"Azula being put in prison." The acrobat's voice was quivering. "She knew, Mai. I don't know how, but she knew. When I went in, she wished me a happy anniversary, and then she wouldn't talk anymore for a long time. And then she said that she wanted to die, and when I said I wouldn't help her with that, she said all sorts of horrible things to me." She pressed her forehead against Mai's knee. "It was awful. It was…just really awful."

Mai winced. Ty Lee had been so patient and so faithful – she shouldn't have been the one to take the brunt of Azula's bitterness. She bit her lips, wondering what she could say. "I wouldn't take those things to heart, Ty," she said calmly. "Azula's good at cutting people down, but what she says isn't always the truth."

"That doesn't matter." The acrobat shrugged one shoulder. "She can say what she likes to me, I don't care. It's just…she's so miserable, and she's so sick, and I keep trying and trying to help her, but she won't let me in! I'm…I'm so tired, Mai." Her voice broke, and her shoulders began to shake a little.

Awkwardly, the Fire Lady withdrew her hand from the head that lay against her knees. She knew what the girl probably needed. If it had been anyone else, she would have told them to find solace elsewhere, but…well, this was _Ty Lee. _"If you need to hug me," she said stiffly, "go ahead."

Sniffling, the acrobat shook her head. "I'm okay." She slipped her arm loosely around the leg of Mai's chair. There was a pause. "Mai, we need to get her out of there. We have to get her to someplace where she can actually get well again. No one could stop being sick in a place like that. The darkness and the chains and the…the _smell. _No wonder she's not getting any better!"

Mai was already shaking her head. "No. _No, _Ty Lee. I already told you why I can't ask Zuko for anything for her."

"So he'll get mad. So what?" The gymnast sat back, looking up at Mai with the beginnings of a frown. "Azula's suffering. We can't just throw up our hands and give up on everything."

"We can if it involves my having to talk to my husband," Mai said sharply. "He needs to feel like I support him, and he won't if I keep asking him things like that. He point-blank told me that he considers asking favors for Azula to be treason. _Treason. _This isn't a small thing."

"If you won't help me, then I'll do it myself," Ty Lee said, her face scrunched up in anger. "I became a traitor once for you; I'll do it again for her, if I have to." She started to get up.

Honest alarm widened Mai's eyes. She quickly shot out a hand and caught the young woman by the arm. "Wait! Ty Lee, wait." The gymnast looked back at her, curling her lip stubbornly. Mai groaned at the sight. "Listen, Ty. Don't go to him, you'll only get yourself banished. I'll…I'll do it. Just give me some time first, all right? I have to figure out how to ask him."

"All right." The fire faded from Ty Lee's gray eyes, leaving only the sadness. She looked down at Mai's hand, which still encircled her wrist. "You're busy. I'll leave you to your work. I think I need to go take a nap or something, anyway."

"You do that." The Fire Lady released her, eyeing her closely. "If you want to, go ahead and take a beauty treatment or two, if it'll make you feel better," she offered. "I know you enjoy that kind of thing."

"So do you," the acrobat pointed out. She did smile a bit, though, to Mai's secret relief. "Maybe I will, later. Thanks, Mai."

"You're welcome." The former assassin nodded gravely and watched as Ty Lee let herself out.

The research was forgotten. Mai turned and rested her elbows on the polished surface of the desk, staring down sightlessly at her half-finished notes. She was remembering how Zuko's eyes had blazed at the mention of Azula's name, and how he had pretty much accused her of treason. She closed her eyes tiredly and dug the heels of her hands into them. _Gods, how am I going to manage this? Blast that Ty Lee…_

_How do I get myself into these situations?_


	13. Opening Gambit

Mai paused at the door that led into the war room, gathering her nerve. She'd been thinking about how to approach Zuko about his sister for two days. Now, having finally come up with a plan that she thought might work, she was about to implement it. She tapped her wrist absently against her hip, feeling the knives that were strapped comfortingly around her forearm. It wasn't that she was afraid, really, she decided. However her husband might react, she didn't think that she herself would be in any real danger. It was more that she loved him, and wanted him to feel like she supported him. She _did_ support him. Whether he would believe that or not, after this...

A deep breath expanded her ribs. _Well, here goes. _She walked through the doors.

Zuko was there, seated on a cushion on the raised dais at the end of the room. All of his top officials and advisors were in attendance. A hush fell as the Fire Lady made her appearance. Mai's eyes met his for a brief moment; then she lowered them, making her way purposefully to the foot of the platform on which he sat. Reaching it, she knelt and bowed low, gazing down at the inlaid hardwood of the floor.

There was a pause of about ten seconds before he acknowledged her. She suspected this had less to do with an intentional slight and more to do with the fact that Zuko was probably taken aback; she'd never interrupted one of his meetings before. She'd also never bowed before him like this. "Fire Lady Mai." With an inward sigh of relief, Mai rose to sit back on her heels. "What can I do for you?" he asked gently. He was smiling a bit, but she could see that he was puzzled.

"My lord," she said formally, "I ask a private audience with you. If it pleases you, I will make my request then."

His eyebrows went up slightly, but he didn't hesitate. "Very well," he said. "This meeting will be over in two hours. I can meet with you in my study then, if that suits."

She hadn't expected anything quite so prompt. Nevertheless, she bowed again. "That's perfect. Thank you, my lord." Zuko raised his hand in dismissal. Mai rose gracefully to her feet and left the room, closing the door soundlessly behind her. Then she retreated to her quarters to recover, and to prepare for the coming conversation. For the first hour, she thought; for the second, she meditated, focusing on the soothing flame of a small candle. Finally, she got up and made her way to the door of Zuko's study.

He was already there when she arrived. He was sitting in his plush chair in front of his small library, by the fireplace. When she entered he got up, extending his hands to her and smiling. "Mai." She smiled gravely in return, sliding her fingers into his and leaning in to kiss him. Zuko moved back after a moment and waved her into the other chair. "What do you need?" he asked curiously, once she had taken her seat. "You know you don't need to ask for a formal meeting to talk to me. - Or make official requests for them during meetings!"

"No. I know I don't." She folded her hands neatly in her lap and looked down at them. "I did that so that you would take this seriously, Zuko."

"I always take you seriously, Mai."

"I know that," she said. "But I mean _seriously." _She paused. "I do have a request for you, my lord husband," she said quietly. "I want to ask you for something, but I don't want to ask for it here."

Although she still wasn't looking at him, she knew he was staring at her in growing concern and bewilderment. "Where do you want to ask it, then?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. _And here's where things are going to get interesting. _Calmly, she raised her narrow eyes to his. "I would make my request to you," she murmured, "in the lowest cell in the prison tower, my lord."

Zuko's eyes widened as he processed this. She watched as emotions flitted over his face – surprise, shock, disbelief - and, finally, anger. His golden eyes began to flash. "Azula's cell," he said, and his voice was calm and cold. "And just what exactly would you want to ask me about when we get there? A new wardrobe?"

Mai's composure was unbroken. "I will make my request there," she said again.

"No." He jerked his head in denial. "No, Mai. I'm not giving her one more concession, and that's absolutely final. I thought I made myself clear the last time we talked about this! She's dangerous, she's unstable, and I will not take any risks with her."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask for yet," Mai snapped, letting a little annoyance into her voice. "I have my reasons for wanting to talk to you there. Can't you trust me enough to just cut me a little slack, Zuko? I wouldn't bring this up with you unless it was important. And I wouldn't...well, I wouldn't deliberately bring it up for no good reason. I know it upsets you."

"Upsets me. Is that what you call it?" He was scowling like a thunderstorm. "You're advocating for my sister. The one who's already tried to take my throne once. The one who hunted me across continents and tried to kill me. The one half the noble houses in this nation still favor! How exactly am I supposed to take that, Mai?"

"You're supposed to take it for what it is," she retorted. "I'm your wife. I love you, I support you, and I'll back you up whenever you need it. But I'm not going to coddle you, Zuko. I'm going to tell you when you're wrong, too." She paused; he was still glowering. Mai sighed and laid her hand on his arm. "Zuko, please. Trust me. Come with me to the prison tower. Once we're there, I'll make my request. If you refuse me then, I promise I'll never so much as mention her name to you again." Zuko looked doubtful, but some of his anger seemed to be receding. She squeezed his arm gently. "I promise," she said softly. He sighed and looked away. Mai couldn't help but admire his profile as she waited for him to respond; she'd always loved his high forehead, and the strong line of his jaw.

"Okay," he said finally, looking back at her. "I'll go. I can't go with you until tomorrow morning, though. I have a meeting with the king of Omashu and King Kuei this afternoon."

A measure of relief flooded Mai's heart. She suspected that she had just won the most difficult part of the battle. She leaned forward and touched her lips to Zuko's unscarred cheek. "Thank you, Zuko," she murmured.

The Fire Lord rubbed his hand gently down her arm, but he didn't kiss her back. "I have to get ready for this afternoon's meeting," he said quietly. "You can go, Mai."

That hurt, but Mai took it stoically. She rose to her feet with all the dignity she could muster and inclined her head in his direction. _If he wants formality, I'll give him formality. _"Thank you, my lord," she said calmly. "I appreciate your attention in this matter." Gracefully, the Fire Lady turned and left the room.


	14. A Sense of Humor

It felt strange to be going to visit Azula without Ty Lee. It felt even stranger to be going to the prison tower with Zuko.

Mai was sitting quietly in her palanquin, listening to the steady tramp of the bearers' feet against the cobblestones. _How will Azula react to seeing her brother? _she wondered. _This could get ugly very quickly. _She breathed a silent prayer of thanks that the Avatar had seen fit to remove the young woman's firebending ability; Azula was plenty dangerous enough without it. It was a good thing, too, that the prisoner was confined to a cage. If she weren't, Mai doubted Zuko could escape without bite marks. The Fire Lady nervously traced the outlines of the knives strapped to her left wrist with her fingertips.

If she was thoroughly honest with herself – which Mai nearly always was – she didn't really have much of a plan of action at this point. Azula, after all, was completely unpredictable. She might not speak or react; she might have a screaming, shrieking fit; she might be her old acerbic, cunning self. The young woman sighed and rubbed her forehead. If she had to pick, she rather hoped that Azula would do one of the former two. She suspected that Zuko wouldn't react well to his sister if she acted too...sane.

The palanquin stopped. Mai looked up; they had arrived.

With a deep breath, the Fire Lady collected herself and stepped regally from her litter. Zuko was already waiting for her, standing by his own palanquin; she inclined her head. "Are you ready for this, my lord?" she asked, with genuine concern.

"I'm ready." He turned his amber eyes on her and gestured. "After you, my lady." Wordlessly, she turned and headed into the familiar courtyard of the prison. They walked together in silence – down the halls and the flights of stairs, as the air grew cold and heavy with the smell of smoke and damp stone. Finally they reached the short hall that led to Azula's cell. There, Mai heard Zuko's footsteps stop. She paused as she reached the door, looking back at him. His face held no emotion, but Mai could feel the waves of apprehension coming from him.

Quietly, she moved over to him and slipped her hand into his. He looked down at her, and she gave him a small smile. "It's all right," she murmured softly, so that only he could hear. Her fingers squeezed his gently. After a moment, she felt him return the pressure; his amber eyes narrowed a bit as he turned them to the cell door. At the unspoken signal, the guards unlocked and opened it, and the royal couple walked into the room.

Azula was neither huddled in a corner nor sitting cross-legged. Despite the fact that she was now in the larger cage, she was lying down – on her back, in fact, her legs crossed at the knees and her head resting back on her hands. Mai's brows lowered a fraction. Since she'd begun visiting the former princess in prison, she'd never seen her do _that_. She didn't get further than that thought, however; at that moment, Azula's head turned, and her golden eyes rested on her brother. All movement ceased in all three of them. Mai herself felt frozen; even her breaths were shallow.

Then the prisoner sat up, with a rattling of chains. She propped herself up on her hands; a wide smile suddenly appeared on her face, and she began to giggle. Mai's eyes widened in surprise. _She's...laughing. She's laughing? What in the world... _"Zuzu!" Azula chortled, and her laughter erupted again, until she was rocking forward, her skinny arms wrapping around her sides. "I'm - so glad - you're here," she managed. "I've got – the funniest story to tell you!"

"Azula." Zuko stood unmoving, his arms straight by his sides, like a soldier at attention. His lips were tight, but Mai couldn't read what he was thinking.

"You'll just love it, Zuzu." Azula's words were slurred, as if she had been drinking. "You remember – how Father – burned you in – in that Agni Kai? And then – then he sent you off – on some wild chase. The Avatar. The _Avatar! _No one had – seen him in a hundred – a hundred years!" She screamed with laughter.

"Shut up, Azula." He was scowling now, his lip curling, and his fist beginning to clench. Mai bit her lips as she looked on.

The prisoner went on as if he hadn't even spoken. "And it was _years!" _she gasped, with another shriek of merriment. "It was years. And then you – actually _found the Avatar! _But even then – you had to have – my help. And you came – you came home. But you couldn't please him – could you? Nothing ever pleased Father."

"That's enough, Azula!" Zuko's voice was sharp. "You can't get to me with this kind of thing anymore. I've dealt with it; it's in the past."

Azula waved him off, laughing so hard that she had to lean back against the bars of her cage to keep from falling over. "No, no, listen! Listen. This is the best - the best part," she managed. "Y'know how you tried – tried so hard to make him happy? And how you never could – no matter how – hard you tried?" Her fits of giggling choked off her speech for a few seconds. "The best part," she gasped out. "The best part is – _neither could I!" _And she collapsed, shaking with the force of her hysterical laughter. The sound of it, Mai realized with alarm, was beginning to very much resemble another shrieking fit. Zuko looked stricken.

The door burst open, and guards rushed in, ushering Mai and Zuko back to safety. "My lord, we have to restrain the prisoner," the captain explained, hesitating as he looked at the Fire Lord. Zuko jerked his head in assent; the men unlocked the cage door. Mai looked down at the floor and listened in silence to the sounds of struggle inside the cell. They went on for many minutes. She could hear Azula's cries over the tumult. "Let me go. Let go of me!" A long string of disconnected curses followed, punctuated by the dull sounds of blows connecting with yielding flesh. The Fire Lady shut her eyes and bit the inside of her lip, hard. The captive's laughter broke into tears. She heard the harsh scraping of metal against metal; then Azula's screams grew muffled. _That will be the muzzle going on. _Mai breathed deeply. There were a few more minutes of battle – another crash or two – and, finally, silence, broken only by the prisoner's pitiful cries.

As the guards filed from the cell, Mai looked up at Zuko. His gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the inside of the cage, and she realized with a start that he had watched the whole thing. He was silent and unmoving, except to wave off the murmured apologies of the guard captain. There was a long pause. Finally, he took his eyes off his wailing sister. Mai resisted the urge to flinch under his gaze. "What did you want to ask me for, Mai?" he said quietly.

She'd forgotten all about it. The Fire Lady inhaled deeply. "I want to ask you to help her," she said softly. "_Help_ her, Zuko. Have real healers look at her. Put her someplace that's still secure, but where she stands some chance of actually getting well again. Treat her with the same compassion that you'd give to any of the other prisoners of the Fire Nation."

There was silence again. Both Mai and Zuko looked inside the cell, to where the bound and muzzled prisoner still wept. "All right," he said finally. "I'll consult with my advisory council on the matter. Whatever advice they give me, I'll follow." His jaw worked. His voice, when he spoke again, was very low. "Do you think she's still in there somewhere, Mai?"

She didn't have to ask him what he meant. She'd wondered the same thing herself, many times. "I don't know," she admitted. "Sometimes I think she is. But sometimes, I...I just don't know." And silence fell again.


	15. Ivory Tower

Ty Lee paused at the foot of the new addition to the prison, peering up at it curiously. Mai had told her that her husband was going to move Azula soon. The construction on the new tower had gone on for about a week; master earthbenders had been brought in to do the work. Now it was finished, and Azula had been imprisoned in it.

Curiously, the acrobat reached out and brushed her hand against it. The black marble it had been formed out of was as smooth as glass beneath her fingertips. It towered, dark and featureless, over the courtyard, stopping just short of the height of the main prison itself. It was simply a smooth column of stone, if what Mai had told her was true, with the cell itself built into the top of it, hundreds of feet up in the air. It was guarded by two earthbenders, who were watching her impassively as she made her investigations.

With her curiosity satisfied, Ty Lee turned a bright smile to the guards. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "I'm Ty Lee. Fire Lady Mai said you'd take me up to see Azula."

"Of course, Lady Ty Lee." One of them bowed from the waist, his arms straight at his sides – an Earth Kingdom gesture. "If you will come this way?" He led her around the side of the tower, to a marble platform about five by five feet that sat at its base. She stepped onto it at his gesture, and he followed. "My apologies, my lady, but I'll need to hold on to you," he said calmly. "I don't want you falling off once we're going up." Ty Lee nodded with a mischievous smile as his arm encircled her waist. _He's kind of cute, for an Earth Kingdom guy. I wonder if he'd date a Fire Nation girl? _Then her thoughts shattered as the platform suddenly shot upward. She uttered a little scream of fright, clinging to him as the ground dropped farther and farther away. Her eyes squeezed shut. _I won't faint I won't faint I won't faint I won't faint..._

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the platform stopped. Ty Lee opened one eye to find herself standing at the entrance to a railed dais that ran around the circumference of the tower. Trembling a little, she pried her fingers loose from the earthbender's arm and gave him a shaky smile. "Thanks," she said.

He smiled and pointed to the left. "The door's just over there," he said. "There's more guards there, and they'll let you in." Ty Lee nodded and stepped off the platform onto the balcony. Her knees still felt a little weak. She headed to the left, trying not to think about how high up she was.

Sure enough, two more earthbenders stood against the blank marble face of the tower. Ty Lee paused, her brow creasing as she looked at them. "Hi," she said slowly. "The...that other guard said you'd let me in to see Azula."

"Lady Ty Lee?" She nodded. Both guards bowed. One of them turned and brought his clenched fist up, then down; a slab of the marble drew down, revealing a small, dark tunnel that led to another blank stone wall. "Go right in," he said calmly. "The inner door will open as soon as the outer one has closed. There's another guard inside who can help you if you need anything." Ty Lee nodded again and slipped nervously into the tunnel. She felt a moment's panic when the door shut, sealing her in stone; then the second slab moved, and there was a welcome rush of air and light. Slowly, she moved forward.

The first thing she saw was the guard, a brown-haired young man who looked no more than twenty years old. He bowed as she blinked at him. "Lady Ty Lee, is it?" She nodded. "I was told that you were coming." He paused, glancing to his right. "Would you like to meet with the prisoner privately?"

"Please." The acrobat nodded, then hesitated. "If...if I need you..."

"We can hear you through the stone, Lady Ty Lee. Don't worry." He smiled reassuringly. "And the prisoner is still caged, as you can see. You are in no danger." He bowed again. "Call if you need anything, my lady." He stepped into the tunnel, and the slab of marble closed noiselessly behind him. Ty Lee trailed her fingers curiously over the smooth stone, and could find no seam. Then, dropping her arm, she turned to look at the room.

Where the outside of the tower was black marble, the inside was white. The walls gleamed, pale and clean. There were many windows – merely long slits, barely six inches wide, but they let in a lot of sunlight. It was very quiet, except for the occasional whisper of wind. The room was larger than Azula's old cell by a good twenty square feet. Against the opposite wall was a cage, about ten feet long and six feet high. Inside the cage was Azula.

Ty Lee couldn't help gaping at her for a minute or two. This was _Azula – _the old Azula, the one she remembered, and not the snarling half-animal she had been in the dungeon. She looked clean. Her hair had been cut and washed; it wasn't quite back to the gleaming ebony of its glory days, but it certainly wasn't the tangled mess it had been before. Her prison clothes were clean. And her eyes, while still not the clear and piercing orbs they had once been, seemed to focus on her visitor at once. The faint suggestion of a smirk played about her lips. "Ty Lee."

"Azula." The acrobat took a deep breath, slowly moving forward until she could rest her hands against the bars of the cage. They felt smooth and cold. She hesitated. "How are you?" The prisoner swept the room with her gaze, slowly. Her smile seemed to widen a touch. She didn't speak. Ty Lee sat down and made herself comfortable. "You look...better," she said softly. "I'm glad, 'Zula. I've been worried about you."

Still without speaking, the captive got up and moved over to where the acrobat was sitting. Ty Lee couldn't help flinching a little as Azula sat back down, so close that their knees almost touched through the metal slats. The prisoner leaned forward and gripped the bars, her face now inches from Ty Lee's. "You did this," she whispered, her golden eyes searching her visitor's gray ones. "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who got them to move me. " Her hand shot through the bars, catching the gymnast by the wrist. Her grip wasn't painfully tight – the acrobat doubted that Azula could squeeze her, though, given how long her own arms had been in shackles.

Ty Lee bit her lip as her heart began to beat rapidly. Azula hadn't done anything to hurt her, but she was still holding onto her arm, and there was a strange intensity in her gaze. Her aura was strange, too; still red and churning, but with quick flashes of other colors, too brief to be identified. If she should suddenly get violent... "I guess you could say that," she said softly. "I got Mai to ask Zuko to help you."

"Why?" Azula demanded. She didn't release her grip. "Tell me why. What do you want?"

The acrobat couldn't help but remember the last time Azula had asked a question like that. She'd been angry at first, and then she had cried. Ty Lee lifted her free hand to gently touch the fingers that imprisoned her wrist. "I don't want anything. Not the way you mean," she said, her voice quiet. "You're my friend. I just want you to get better. I want you to be _you_ again, 'Zula."

The amber eyes narrowed, and Azula sneered. "What difference would that make?" she snapped. "I'm never going to see the outside of a cell again. Brother dear will see to _that."_

"You don't know that." Ty Lee gathered her courage enough to rest her hand on the former princess's arm. "He might change his mind. After all, he changed it to let you be in here. Look – sunshine, fresh air, a clean cell. Isn't this a lot better?" She smiled gently. "There's going to be doctors, too. They'll help you feel better."

Azula said nothing for a moment or two. "My father," she said finally. "Is he still alive?"

Ty Lee's eyes widened. Ozai was _not_ a topic she wanted to discuss with Azula – not while the young woman still had a hold of her arm. She considered trying to jerk her wrist free; but then the prisoner might attack her. She then considered poking a few of Azula's pressure points. _No. I can't. She's starting to trust me, and she never will if I do that. _She bit her lip. _I guess I'll just have to answer the question._ "Ye-es," she faltered.

"Huh." Azula eyed her with something like disgust, then released her arm. Ty Lee rubbed her wrist, suppressing an impulse to scramble to a safe distance from the cage. The prisoner seemed to have lost interest. She moved to the back wall of her prison and sat cross-legged, laying her hands on her knees. "He couldn't even do that right," she said. Her voice dripped with bitter scorn.

"What?" Ty Lee blinked. "Who? Who couldn't do what right?" But the prisoner was evidently through with speaking. She closed her amber eyes, and was impervious to her visitor's words. At last, Ty Lee gave up and bade her goodbye. She rapped on the wall. The earthbender came to release her back into the world of freedom and sound.


	16. A Chink in the Armor

Two weeks went by, and Ty Lee continued to see changes in Azula. The prisoner grew quieter, and her eyes grew clearer. She seemed to grow more and more lucid, even as she spoke less and less. Ty Lee thought she didn't seem any happier, even if she did seem healthier – but then, she reflected hopefully, some things just took time.

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. It was the kind of day that made her want to swing from the branches of the palace trees in a very unladylike manner. Ty Lee fairly beamed as she made her way through the streets of the capital toward the prison. _If Azula could be outside today, I bet she'd feel a lot better, _she thought. _And maybe if she could have a few owl-kittens to cuddle, too? _She paused, remembering how the former princess had treated the turtleducks in the palace grounds. _Okay,so maybe no owl-kittens just yet, _she decided. But owl-kittens always made Ty Lee feel better, and she thought maybe she could bring Azula one someday. - Once she was sure that the girl wouldn't crush it to death, that is.

The trip up the side of Azula's tower was as swift and exciting as ever. Ty Lee had actually started to enjoy it. She didn't quite dare to ask the earthbenders for extra rides, but she would have liked a few. She glanced over the railing at the bulk of the main prison tower, and wished it was a little bit closer. She could imagine herself springing from one to the other – and maybe turning a few somersaults in the air on the way, and a number of other exhilarating maneuvers. _But jumping around a prison probably isn't ladylike, either, _she thought with a sigh, turning back to the task at hand. _How come the really fun things are always unladylike?_

Azula was lying on her stomach when Ty Lee entered her cell. The acrobat paused to look her over, trying to assess her mood. The former princess lay near the bars of her cage, her face turned toward the cell door. Her chained arms were folded under her head like a pillow. Azula's amber eyes moved to take in Ty Lee's presence, then dropped back to staring lifelessly at the wall. Ty Lee nodded to herself as she moved forward. Azula was in one of her silent moods – she probably wouldn't talk much today, if at all. Sitting down by the cage, Ty Lee reached a hand through the bars and brushed Azula's cheek gently. "Hey," she said softly. "How you feeling today, 'Zula?" The prisoner said nothing. "It's really nice out today. I wish you could see it. I bet you'd feel a lot better if you could."

The golden eyes closed, and the frail shoulders rose and fell with the girl's breath. "Why do you keep coming here, Ty Lee?"

The acrobat smiled. "Why do you keep asking when I've told you the answer, silly?" She moved a few stray strands of hair from Azula's face. "You're my friend."

"No. I'm not." Azula's voice was hollow. She didn't open her eyes. "I'm not, Ty Lee." There was a pause. Ty Lee frowned, not sure what to do with that statement. "I've been thinking. You remember that one day when you and Mai and I were playing hide-and-seek in the gardens, and you fell out of a tree and broke your arm?"

Ty Lee nodded, despite the fact that Azula couldn't see it. "Yeah."

"I called you a baby and told you to stop crying." Azula's voice lowered as she spoke.

"Uh-huh." Ty Lee moved her hand lower to rub the prisoner's back. "But you were the one who went and got the healer, too."

"And that time you came to my birthday, and I ditched you and went off with those popular girls from the Academy."

"But you said thank you when I gave you your present, and we hung out again afterwards." Ty Lee shrugged her shoulders with a half-smile. "It wasn't a big deal, 'Zula."

"And the time I pushed you into that mud puddle and laughed at you..."

"...And drank chocolate milk with me when we went inside later..."

"I threw you in _prison, _Ty Lee!" Azula's eyes snapped open, glaring up at her in something like defiance. "I took you and Mai and I threw you both in prison. Both of you! Into the Boiling Rock, one of the worst jails in the Fire Nation!"

The acrobat nodded soberly. Her hand slipped back up to cup Azula's cheek again. "I know," she said softly. "But you were just angry, 'Zula. If you'd had enough time to cool down, you'd have let me out later, right? And anyway, I forgive you."

"_Why?" _The prisoner's voice broke. Her eyes looked suspiciously wet. "I never said I was sorry. I don't understand. Why? Tell me why."

Ty Lee began to run her fingers through her friend's hair, soothingly, as she would have stroked a skittish ostrich-horse. "Because," she murmured, "that's what friends do." She looked into Azula's tortured eyes and smiled. "I just love you. That's all. It's nothing complicated." The prisoner turned her face away abruptly, hiding it in her arms. Ty Lee continued to gently stroke her black hair – she waited patiently. After a while, Azula's body quivered, and a single, choked sob broke from her. The acrobat considered saying something, but then decided against it. _I'll let her cry. She'll talk again when she's ready. _She waited.

It took a long time. The prisoner kept her face hidden, and only a very few audible sobs came. At last, Azula drew a long breath and turned her head to look at Ty Lee again. The acrobat carefully brushed away the tears on the girl's pale cheeks, marveling at how vulnerable Azula seemed. She didn't think she'd ever seen her look quite like this. "I wish..." The captive stopped. Ty Lee smiled a bit, encouragingly. "I wish...that I'd been nicer to you." Ty Lee bit her lip. She didn't quite know what to say to this. "Will you...will you say it again?"

Ty Lee brought her hand to rest on hers. "Say what again, 'Zula?"

"The part...after you said that's what friends do." The prisoner averted her eyes, biting her lips; her cheeks flushed. "You know, where you...you said..."

"That I love you?" Ty Lee asked gently. Azula jerked her head in a nod. It was almost an angry motion. The acrobat squeezed her fingers lightly. "I love you. I do love you, 'Zula. It's the truth."

The prisoner shivered, lowering her head to press her tearstained cheek against Ty Lee's hand. She seemed suddenly very young. "Will you stay?" she whispered. "I've never told you. I hate going to sleep alone."

Ty Lee blinked. "But...Azula, you've always gone to sleep alone."

"I know." Azula closed her eyes. "That's why I hate it."

Ty Lee thought that she understood. She nodded slowly. "Okay," she agreed, settling herself into a more comfortable position against the bars. "I won't leave until you're asleep. I promise." Azula's hand relaxed. The acrobat slid her fingers from her grasp and went back to gently rubbing the prisoner's bony shoulders. She stayed until Azula's face relaxed. She watched as the girl's breathing deepened, and the lines of trouble left her brow. She stayed long after the sun had set, plunging the prison cell into darkness. The moon was high in the sky when Ty Lee finally stirred and took her hand from Azula's back. The prisoner's face looked more peaceful than she had seen it look in a long time. Ty Lee kissed her fingers and pressed them lightly against Azula's cheek. "Good night, 'Zula," she whispered; Azula didn't stir. The acrobat got up and slipped across the cell on silent feet to knock for the guards.


	17. Moon Cake

When Ty Lee stepped into the cell again the next afternoon, she found Azula sitting against the far wall of the cage, her knees hugged to her chest. The girl's amber eyes widened as they fell on the acrobat. "You came."

Ty Lee paused, perplexed. "Of course I came. I've been coming every day since...well, since you first got thrown in prison. Why wouldn't I come?"

"Because yesterday I let you..." Azula suddenly shut her mouth with a snap and looked away. "Nothing. Never mind." Ty Lee took in the prisoner's tense shoulders, clenched jaw and glaring eyes. _She still thinks I might stab her in the back and abandon her, _she realized. _Silly girl! Now that she let her guard down with me once, she's scared of me._

With an indulgent sigh, Ty Lee moved to her spot by the cage and sat down. _Well, I'll just have to get her calmed down and trusting me again, I guess. _She rested her head against the bars and smiled a bit. "I heard Zuko sent you some doctors this morning," she said. "How did that go?"

Azula cast her a sidelong glance. "I think they were rather disappointed," she said coolly.

"Why's that?" Ty Lee frowned.

"I wasn't a screaming lunatic." Azula shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching in rueful amusement. "They had me chained up for the examination, anyway. I think I struggled and swore at them enough to make up for my lack of crazy." She glowered down at her own feet. "They poked and prodded me like I was some bug being examined. This stupid old fool of a waterbender was taking notes the whole time, and asking me all these questions about Father and Mother, and whether I still see things. I told him that if I ever got out of prison, I was going to eat his family." Azula glanced at Ty Lee again with a feral grin. "I think I almost made him wet himself."

The acrobat looked at her in sorrow. "Oh, 'Zula, why did you do that?" she asked reproachfully. "Those people might be able to help you."

Azula snorted, straightening out her legs and folding her arms over her chest. "Help me do what?" she sneered. "Come back to reality? I've had enough reality. I'm a monster in a cage. I'll be behind bars for the rest of my life. What's the point of being more aware of that?"

"You're not a monster." Ty Lee's lower lip thrust out a bit, and her brows lowered. "Don't talk about yourself like that. It's not true."

"Of course it is," Azula said. Her tone somehow managed to be both airy and bitter at the same time. "I'm monster enough to be a sideshow attraction. They told me all about it. They read me a perfect litany of my sins. Murder – torture – war crimes – betrayal." She waved a hand dramatically in the air. "And then, like the perfect ending to an opera, the spiral into madness, and the ultimate defeat. The opera ends, and everyone in the crowd goes home. Except for the monster, of course, who spends the rest of her days alone in a hole, and dies old and forgotten." Azula stopped, her mouth twisting acerbically. "No one remembers the days when I was the hero of the Fire Nation."

Ty Lee shook her head. "I remember, 'Zula," she said gently.

Something flickered in the prisoner's hawk eyes. She slowly unfolded herself and moved to the side of the cage where Ty Lee was sitting. The acrobat watched quietly as Azula sat down again, cross-legged, across from her. "Why hasn't Mai been coming?" the former princess asked. "Has she finally decided I'm not worth her effort?"

"No. It's nothing like that," Ty Lee said firmly. "It's just that she's been really busy. It's the Four Nations Summit in two days, and she and Zuko have been preparing for it." The acrobat paused. "Actually, now that you mention it, she told me to tell you that she's going to come see you again in a week, once the Summit's over," she added apologetically. "I was supposed to tell you a couple of days ago, but I think I forgot."

Azula didn't meet her gaze. She fidgeted with her fingers. "And Zuko?" she asked carefully. Ty Lee's eyes widened in surprise. Azula shifted uncomfortably. "I thought I saw him last night," she muttered. "But then he...he melted away." She rested her forehead against the bars and loosely wrapped her left hand around one of them. "I can't do anything about Mo...about some of the other people that I...see. But Zuko's still alive. I could tell him..." She stopped. "He didn't always hate me, you know."

With a deep breath, Ty Lee took Azula's hand and drew it fully through the bars, holding it between hers. "I know he didn't," she said softly. Azula just shivered. "'Zula..." Ty Lee hesitated, biting her lip. She wasn't sure if the prisoner would want to talk about this, but she seemed to be hovering close to the topic, anyway. "You know when you would have your...well, _fits..." _She paused. Azula nodded curtly, her eyes still averted. "You talked a lot about your father," Ty Lee murmured. "You begged him not to leave you. You kept pleading and telling him that you tried, and you did your best. And your mother..." The prisoner's body tensed. Ty Lee could see her head pulling down into her shoulders, as if she were trying to shrink away. She gently squeezed Azula's fingers. "You do know that you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Ty Lee." Azula's voice was faint, nearly a whisper. "I can't right now. Okay?"

"Okay." Ty Lee wasn't disappointed. She was pleased that the prisoner had actually accepted her offer of a listening ear. She rubbed the thin hand that still rested between hers. "Any time you need it, all you have to do is ask." Azula jerked her head in another short nod. Ty Lee turned her attention to what the girl had been saying before. "So what do you want me to do for you, 'Zula?"

The prisoner swallowed. Her golden eyes swept briefly over Ty Lee's face before falling once again, this time resting on their clasped hands. "I don't know if you can do this," she said quietly, "but...tell my brother I want to talk to him." Her fingers quivered in Ty Lee's grasp. "Tell him I promise not to ask him for anything, and he can...he can forget about me afterward. I just want to tell him some things before...well, before I'm nothing but a bad memory to him."

Ty Lee nodded. "I'll tell him," she said earnestly. "Mai might fuss a little, but I promise that I'll tell him for you. Okay?"

"Thank you." Azula slumped against the bars completely, grasping one with her other hand to keep herself upright. Her head drooped. "I'm so tired, Ty Lee," she whispered.

Cage be damned, Ty Lee decided. She let go of Azula's hand and, sliding her arms through the steel bars that separated them, clasped Azula in a hug. She could feel the prisoner's bony arms slowly moving to return the embrace, resting lightly around her middle. It felt good. How many times had Ty Lee hugged the captive, and received only abuse in return? She smiled as she rubbed Azula's back gently. "It's okay," she said softly. "You'll see. Everything's going to be all right." The prisoner's grip tightened. "It's okay," Ty Lee murmured again.

"You're the only one." Azula's voice was barely audible. "You're the only one who really remembers me. You're the only person who cares that I exist." Her face pressed against Ty Lee's shoulder through the bars. And then, with a burst of vulnerability, "Please...please don't leave me."

"I won't," Ty Lee said patiently. "I've told you this before. I'm not going anywhere. You're my friend, and I'm not leaving you here alone." She slipped her fingers under the girl's chin, making her look into her face. "Are you listening to me, 'Zula?" she said severely. "I'm not going anywhere."

Mutely, Azula nodded and pressed her brow back against the acrobat's shoulder. Her grip on Ty Lee didn't loosen. Ty Lee wasn't complaining. She continued running her hand gently up and down the prisoner's back. She could feel the lumps of the girl's spine, and every ridge of her ribs. Her brow furrowed. _I better make sure later that they're giving her enough food, _she told herself. _She's still awfully thin. _"Ty Lee?" Azula's voice was muffled against the acrobat's shirt. Ty Lee made a soft sound. "The Festival of Lanterns was a while ago. It's almost my birthday, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee's eyes widened a bit – she'd almost forgotten. "Yeah, I guess it's coming up pretty soon. Less than two weeks from now."

"I wonder if you'd do something for me." Azula sounded almost ashamed. "You can say no, of course, if it's too much trouble. I just...well, when I was little, Moth...people would give me a little moon cake and a cup of sweet tea on my birthday. I mean, aside from all the official celebrations and things. It sounds stupid, I know, but I missed that. On my fifteenth birthday, I mean..." Ty Lee blushed and nodded. Nearly a month had passed between Azula's incarceration and her first visit from Ty Lee, and her birthday had fallen during that time. The acrobat still regretted that the girl had spent that day chained up and alone. "I wonder if you could bring me a moon cake. On my birthday, that is."

"Aw, Azula." Ty Lee beamed and dropped a kiss on the top of the black head. "Of course I can! And I'll bring you some tea, too. We'll have it together. Maybe Mai will even come." She couldn't see all of Azula's face, but she saw the corner of the girl's mouth curve upward a fraction. "Do you...want me to ask your Uncle Iroh if he wants to come?" she asked hesitantly. "He likes tea. And he told me once that he'd come if you ever asked for him."

There was a long silence. Finally, Azula took a deep breath. "Don't," she said quietly. "I want you there, and I can put up with Mai. But not him." She slowly pulled away from Ty Lee's embrace and rubbed her eyes. "Thank you, Ty Lee."

"Should we bring a Pai Sho game, too?" the acrobat asked softly. "Maybe we could play. I bet it's been a long time for you."

Azula's lips twitched. "I haven't touched a Pai Sho board since we left Ba Sing Se," she said. "I doubt I even remember how to play it."

"We'll teach you again," Ty Lee said cheerfully. "Well, I can tell you the basic rules, anyway. It was always more your kind of thing, 'Zula. You have to be a lot smarter than I am to be any good at Pai Sho."

The prisoner smiled – a real smile, if a small one. "Don't kid yourself, Ty Lee," she said quietly. "You're a lot wiser than most people think."


	18. Deciding Factor

It was three days later when it happened.

Ty Lee was in her own quarters in the palace. She had just washed and changed after a grueling (and very enjoyable) acrobatics session in one of the more deserted gardens. It was late afternoon; the girl glanced out the window, eyeing the sun. _I think it's about time to go visit Azula, _she thought. _Maybe I can get her to open up to me even more today. _The thought made her smile.

There came a pounding at the door. The unexpectedness of it made Ty Lee jump. "Imperial guard," came a stern voice. "Open up!" The acrobat blinked. _That's strange. I wonder what's going on? _She went to open the door. Three hulking soldiers stood outside, their long halberds at the ready. "Lady Ty Lee, you are under arrest," their captain said briskly. "You will surrender and come quietly."

"Arrest?" The acrobat's mouth fell open in shock. "How come?"

"You will be told what you need to know when you need to know it, my lady," he said sternly. "Now, hold out your hands." Bewildered, the girl did as she was told. There was a rattling of metal, and her wrists were cuffed. Shackles clamped around her legs; then a chain was fastened around her middle, and her hand and foot restraints were attached to it with more lengths of chain. The iron hands of the guards fell on her shoulders, and she was marched through the halls and down a flight of stairs.

They reached a room that was empty except for a single metal chair in the middle of the floor. They sat her down in it; her arms and legs were strapped down. Then came the questions. They flew thick and fast. _How long have you been visiting Princess Azula? What do you talk about? Has she ever threatened anybody in your hearing? Has she ever threatened Fire Lord Zuko specifically? Have you ever brought anything to her in her cell? Have you ever carried messages for her? _Ty Lee answered them truthfully, with growing perplexity. "Please," she said softly, when her interrogator paused for breath, "what's going on? Has something happened?"

"There has been an attempt on the life of the Fire Lord," he said grimly. "It failed, thanks be to Agni. There is evidence that the assassination attempt is connected to the former Princess Azula."

"But...but that's impossible," Ty Lee protested, once she recovered from the shock of this. "She can't have been involved!"

"She was," he said flatly. "And you, Lady Ty Lee, are her main connection to the palace."

Ty Lee's eyes widened. "You mean, you...you think that I..?" Her eyes flitted from one soldier to another, desperately searching for some sign that she was mistaken. She found none. "But I didn't," she protested. "I wouldn't ever do something like that. I've never killed anybody in my life! You can even ask Mai. And," defiantly, "Azula didn't do anything, either!"

The captain looked unimpressed. He glanced down at the notes he had been jotting down as they questioned her. "We'll be back soon for another round of questions, Lady Ty Lee," he said coldly. "I would advise that you think things over very carefully. We won't be as gentle the second time around." The soldiers left, and the door slammed shut. Ty Lee heard the deadbolts shooting home.

Confused and frightened, the acrobat stared at the door. She was glad that Zuko was all right – but how could he think that she would ever do anything to hurt him? She'd always rather liked Zuko, even if he was grouchy sometimes. Actually, now that she thought about it, a lot of her friends tended to be grouchy sometimes. Azula certainly was. Mai, too. Why on earth she kept absolutely falling in love with people who were so grumpy, she didn't know. Maybe it was sort of an "opposites attract" thing, except with friendships instead of dating-type relationships? It could be...oh, wait, she was getting sidetracked again. Ty Lee's brow wrinkled. _I hope Azula's okay._

The door was unbolted. As it swung open, Ty Lee looked up fearfully. Instead of the burly guards she had been expecting, she saw instead a tall and stately young woman. Relief flooded the acrobat's heart. "Mai!" she cried softly. "Oh, I'm _so_ glad to see you."

Quietly, the Fire Lady crossed the room and bent over her, beginning to unbuckle the straps that held her to the chair. "It's all right, Ty Lee," she said calmly. "I know you wouldn't have anything to do with something like this. I've told the guards to follow up the other leads."

"Oh, Mai." Ty Lee flung her newly-freed arms around the noblewoman's neck, her eyes filling with tears. "I just knew you'd save me."

"All right, Ty," Mai said, a trifle impatiently. "Let me go so I can free your feet." The acrobat released her, beaming, and watched as she opened the straps that held her ankles. "Come on. Let's go back upstairs."

"Is Azula okay?" the acrobat wanted to know.

"Not here." The narrow eyes of the Fire Lady flickered a bit. "We'll talk about all this in my quarters, Ty Lee. Come on." Ty Lee nodded and followed the woman from the room. She felt fresh relief as they mounted the stairs together – she didn't want to think about what the guards' "less gentle" questions would have been like. Now, if she could only make sure that Azula wasn't in danger, she'd feel that all was right with the world.

The instant the door of Mai's quarters closed behind them, Ty Lee pounced. "Is Azula okay?" she demanded again. "Tell me, Mai."

The Fire Lady's narrow eyes wouldn't meet hers. "Ty Lee," she said gently, "Azula masterminded a hit on Zuko. It's just a good thing that he saw the assassin coming. This is a very serious thing."

"You're not answering me." Ty Lee's alarm was growing. She drew her brows down and thrust out her chin. "Did someone hurt her?"

Mai sighed, turning to look out the window, and rubbed her forehead lightly with her fingers. "I guess it's better if you hear this from me." Her calm gaze finally met Ty Lee's. "Azula was questioned about it this morning. She wouldn't admit to anything, and she refused to give up her co-conspirators. So Zuko ordered her guards to loosen her tongue." The acrobat's eyes grew wide with horror. "It's only until she gives up the names," Mai said softly. "Then she'll be put to death."

"No!" With a despairing shriek, Ty Lee flung herself down at the woman's feet, clinging to the hem of her robe. "Mai, please, you have to stop them. Azula didn't do it! I don't know why you think she did, but she didn't. She didn't! Don't let them kill her!"

"There's nothing I can do, Ty Lee," Mai said quietly.

"_Mai!" _Ty Lee sobbed. "Please, there has to be something."

The woman shook her head firmly and turned back to the window. There was no softening in her expression. "No. I was ready to give Azula another chance, but this I can't forgive. She has to die for it. I'm not going to lift a hand to stop it, Ty Lee. I'm sorry."

The sobs slowly died in Ty Lee's throat. She stared up at Mai, but could see only the back of her head. _Then it's true, now. I'm all that she has. _An idea came to her. The grief faded, leaving only steely resolve. Ty Lee rose to her feet. Stepping forward without hesitation, she swung her fist hard at the Fire Lady's back.

Mai only had time to utter a soft gasp of shock before she lost control of her muscles. She crumpled back into Ty Lee's arms, completely paralyzed. Gently, Ty Lee laid her friend down on the carpet, careful not to bump her against anything. She could feel Mai's disbelief and horror in her aura – and her pain, too. "I'm sorry, Mai," Ty Lee said softly, dropping a gentle kiss on the woman's cheek. "I hope you can forgive me. If we ever see each other again, I promise I'll try to make up for this." She took the Fire Lady's hand and slipped the golden signet ring from her finger. She could feel Mai's outrage. "I'm only borrowing this for a while," she murmured. "I promise I'll give it right back, okay?" She kissed the white cheek again. "Goodye, Mai. And I'm really, really sorry."

The guards outside the door barely even turned their heads when Ty Lee slipped from the room, closing the door behind her. "Mai says she'll be busy all evening, and she doesn't want to be disturbed, 'kay?" she said brightly. "I think she's in a kinda bad mood, too." She saw uncertainty flickering in the soldiers' eyes, and smiled to herself as she hurried down the hallway toward her quarters. All the guards were rather afraid of Mai. She felt a bit guilty for playing on that fear, but she couldn't see another way. Ty Lee stopped in her own rooms only long enough to retrieve a gift she had been given by the Avatar – a long staff. Then she walked quickly out of the palace, heading for Azula's prison.

When Ty Lee reached the outer court of the prison, she began to limp, leaning heavily on the staff. She made her way laboriously to the smooth tower of stone that held her friend. The guards at the foot of the tower stepped in front of her. One of them – a young man Ty Lee knew by now, by the name of Mica – gave her an apologetic half-smile. "I'm afraid you can't go up there today, my lady," he said quietly. "The Fire Lord's orders."

"Oh, that's all right." She smiled innocently at him, fishing Mai's signet ring out of her pocket and displaying the dragon seal. "He asked me to come down. He thinks maybe Azula will tell us things if I ask her, since she kind of trusts me."

Mica frowned a bit, but the ring seemed to convince him. He nodded. "Well, all right, then. Have you hurt your leg, Lady Ty Lee?"

"Yeah. A bit." Ty Lee shrugged, putting the ring back into her pocket. "I was doing some flips this morning, and I landed funny. My knee got twisted. It'll be all right in a couple days." She flashed him an impish smile as she limped onto the stone platform. "You'll just have to hold on to me tighter when we go up. Right?"

He blushed. "Uh...yeah. I guess so." He put a steadying arm awkwardly around her waist. The platform shot up the side of the tower.

At the top, Ty Lee limped from the platform and waved as the young earthbender dropped from sight. This done, she laid her staff carefully on the ground. Taking a deep breath, she began to slink around the side of the tower. To her relief, there were no guards outside the cell. The door was wide open. As she peered at it undecidedly, she heard a piercing scream. Horror washed over her like ice water. _That was Azula! _A man's voice spoke harshly – another agonized cry floated through the air. Ty Lee didn't wait to hear more. She sprang through the opening and into Azula's cell.

What she must have looked like, bursting through the door like some avenging pink angel of death, she didn't know. She doubted any of the people inside got more than a brief glimpse of her before her merciless fists and feet felled them. Less than a minute later, the field was left to Ty Lee, and the spoils of battle were hers. Panting, she turned toward the center of the cell.

Azula was on her knees in the middle of the floor, her head slumped over her breast, her arms chained to a steel hook in the ceiling. She had been stripped, and her feet bound together with rope. There were deep bruises on her limbs. Her white skin was crossed and criss-crossed with ugly whip-weals, from the base of her spine to the nape of her slender neck. Her eyes were closed; Ty Lee thought that she must be unconscious.

A few minutes' hunting brought Ty Lee the key that she wanted. She released Azula's chains and laid her tenderly on the floor. "It's me, 'Zula," she whispered softly, brushing the pale cheek with her hand. "It's Ty Lee. It's all right, now. They won't hurt you anymore." There was no response.

_I don't have much time. _Ty Lee looked around. She knew what she needed. With a little searching, she found a few coils of rope. One of the paralyzed soldiers was wearing a cloak; she took that, too. She piled the things outside the door of the cell. Then she found Azula's prison clothes and carefully dressed her. She was about to lift the prisoner into her arms when she suddenly remembered. Slipping over to the soldier from whom she had taken the cloak, she stooped down and pressed Mai's signet ring into the palm of his hand. "The Fire Lady will want this back," she said softly. "Once you can move again, could you give it to her for me? And tell her thank you." Then Ty Lee scooped Azula's limp body into her arms and carried her out of the cell.

It took a few minutes to prepare everything for Ty Lee's plan. First, she retrieved her staff and laid it carefully against the handrail of the dais. Then, holding Azula firmly against herself, she tied their two bodies together with the ropes. The cloak came next; with it and another length of rope, Ty Lee managed to make a sort of makeshift sling around the upper part of Azula's body. This would keep her head and arms from falling back. Ty Lee took a deep breath. She was ready. She placed a gentle kiss on the top of Azula's head. "Just relax, 'Zula," she said. "Don't worry, 'kay? I'll take care of you."

She took up her staff and pressed a hidden switch. With a sharp click and a snap of canvas, it became a glider. Ty Lee smiled to herself as she hefted it over her head and laboriously climbed up onto the wide stone guardrail. It was more difficult with Azula's motionless form attached to her. Fortunately, the prisoner didn't weigh much. Ty Lee stood on the rail and looked around, frowning. Her eye rested on the docks. _No. I'd never be able to get us onto a ship. And even if I did, Mai's only going to be unconscious for another half-hour or so. We'd never get past the Gates of Sozin. _Her gaze moved farther to the right – a sudden idea struck her, and she smiled. She squeezed the prisoner's shoulders gently. "Hang on tight, 'Zula," she said softly. "It's going to be a wild ride down!" Drawing a deep breath, Ty Lee jumped.


	19. The Ferry

It took Ty Lee a minute to get the hang of gliding while carrying another person's weight, but she was strong and athletic, and she soon mastered it. She caught an updraft and soared up high, nearly as high as the place she had jumped from. Her eye sought out their destination on the horizon. "Only a few minutes more, and we'll be on the ground again," she murmured into Azula's ear. She didn't know if the girl could even hear her, but she didn't care.

They had almost reached their goal – in fact, were already swooping down toward the ground – when Ty Lee suddenly saw a flaw in her plan. With Azula tied to her own body, she wasn't going to be able to bring her feet down and land as she usually did. Panic bubbled up in her throat as the ground approached. _What am I going to go? Oh, spirits... _At the last moment, acting on instinct, Ty Lee jerked her glider into a spin, so that the craft lay on the bottom and Azula was on top. They hit hard. The acrobat gave a sharp cry of pain, but curled her body protectively around her precious burden as they bounced and skidded across the ground. At last they came to a stop. Dazed, Ty Lee sat up and began to assess the damage.

By some miracle, she didn't seem to have broken any bones, although she was certainly battered. Her own body had shielded Azula's from the impact, so the unconscious girl hadn't suffered any further injuries. The glider, though, had seen better days. Ty Lee gazed mournfully down at the bent and broken wreck. "I'm sorry," she told it. "It was my fault. But it was either you or 'Zula. You understand, don't you?" She thought that it did. Slowly, the acrobat began to untie the ropes that held Azula against her. After a few minutes, she could lay the girl down on the sandy ground. Ty Lee got up, dusting off her loose trousers, and laid the cloak over Azula's form. Then she lifted the limp girl into her arms again and headed down to the water's edge.

They were at the ferry landing. She had timed it right; there was not a soul in sight. Glancing at the reddening horizon, she thought that the final ferryload of passengers would probably be arriving in about an hour. She intended to be long gone by then. Laying Azula down on the beach, she hunted about the shoreline, and was soon rewarded by the sight of a rowboat. She grinned to herself as she dragged it back to where she had left her friend. The small boat was kept near the landing, in case supplies needed to be quickly run out to the ferry. She'd seen the boat there many times when she had taken the ferry, but she'd never known that she would need it one day.

The boat was large enough for her to lay Azula comfortably in the bottom of it. Ty Lee spread the cloak over the girl's body like a blanket, tucking it gently in around her skinny shoulders. Then she pushed the boat out from the shore and clambered into it herself. She thought she knew what direction to go. Taking up the oars, she began to row.

Ty Lee hadn't done much rowing, but she knew the basic technique. The boat was soon quite far from shore. She felt very small when she looked behind her at the open ocean, on which they bobbed like a tiny cork. Ty Lee turned back to her rowing, her jaw set stubbornly. It was going to take a long time to reach their safe haven, but she was determined to do it. She threw her back into the work. The only sound was the splashing of water against the hull of the boat, and her own labored breathing. It was rather eerie.

As time passed, the sun sank low on the horizon. It grew darker, and a mist began to gather on the surface of the water. Ty Lee had to stop to rest. She stooped down to the bottom of the boat to see how Azula was doing. The girl hadn't stirred. Her eyes were still closed – Ty Lee didn't think there had been any change. She tenderly stroked Azula's forehead. "How you doing?" she murmured. "I hope you're warm enough. This cloak's all I could get." She smiled a bit. "When we get where we're going, I'm sure we can find you a better blanket – and I'll make you some hot tea, if you're awake then to drink it." She looked up, biting her lips as she saw how thick the fog was getting. She could hardly make out the distant shoreline any more, even though the sun still hadn't completely set. Despite her worry, though, she still noticed how beautiful the ocean was in the evening light. "It's too bad, 'Zula – your first night of freedom, and you can't even see it." She laughed lightly "But don't worry about it. It's okay. There'll be more." She took her hand from the girl's face. "I better start rowing again, or we'll never get there." Her palms were slightly blistered. With a shrug, Ty Lee grasped the oars anyway, and set to work.

The darkness grew – the sun vanished completely, and the waters turned inky black. She could barely make out the stars through the rising fog. Ty Lee shivered as the wall of mist closed in around them. At last, she stopped rowing, looking around in dismay. She could see nothing – nothing but the thick, dark gray of the fog, and the water that yawned like a black pit beneath the boat!

She was very close to panic. They were in trouble now, and she knew it. This was how people got lost at sea. The little rowboat would be at the mercy of the currents until morning, and who knew where they would end up? And she hadn't even brought so much as a crumb of food or a drop of water!

Trembling, Ty Lee slipped down to sit in the bottom of the boat. She drew Azula up into her lap, nestling the black head against her chest, and held her like an infant. "We're gonna have to stop for the night," she said bravely, even though her lips were quivering. _Have to be strong. If she can hear me, I don't want her to be scared. _"Guess I'm just not strong enough to do it all in one go," she went on, with a weak giggle. "I'll have to give you that cup of tea in the morning, instead, 'kay?" Ty Lee gently kissed Azula's pale cheek. "Don't worry, 'Zula. You just rest. I'll take care of you. You'll see." Her voice broke; she fell silent, holding her friend close, and buried her face in the girl's soft, black hair.

Despite her fear, Ty Lee was exhausted, and she soon found herself nodding off. She wedged herself with her back against the seat and rested her head against Azula's, dozing fitfully. Strange, half-remembered visions kept floating in front of her as she hovered between sleep and wakefulness. "Promise I'll keep you safe," she muttered. "Safe..."

"_Groooonk!" _Ty Lee was jerked awake by a guttural sound, almost like a small foghorn. Blinking, she raised her head to see a large, pinkish face peering at her over the side of the rowboat. It had long whiskers and enormous black eyes. The acrobat stared at it in faint confusion as it blinked back. _Wow. This is the most realistic dream I've had yet... _She looked up, and saw the dark prow of a ship looming overhead, its bulk jutting proudly out of the thick fog. There were torches blazing on its deck. As she watched, a face appeared – a dark-skinned old man's face, pleasant and smiling. "Ahoy there," he called down to her. "You young ladies look as if you could use some help. Can I offer you a lift?"

Ty Lee's arms tightened protectively around Azula's frail body. _This isn't a dream. _She looked around; they were still bobbing in the little rowboat, in the middle of the open sea. She looked back up. The old man was still smiling pleasantly. "Yes, please," she faltered. "We're...lost."

"Well, no more. I've just found you." His smile broadened. "Hold on tight, Miss. We'll have you up here in a jiffy." He made a sweeping motion of his hand. In an instant, the water beneath the rowboat rose up, and the little craft flew toward the bigger ship! Ty Lee squeaked in alarm, screwing her eyes shut and clutching Azula tightly to her chest. When the movement stopped, she cautiously opened one eye to find that the boat now rested on the deck of the bigger vessel. The man soon approached them, holding out his hand. "Here, young lady, let me help you climb out," he said. "Your friend will be all right there for a minute."

"Okay," she said softly, with a tremulous smile. She let Azula down onto the bottom of the boat again and took his arm; he held her steady with surprising strength as she stepped out of the rowboat and onto the deck of the ship. "Why," she cried suddenly, opening her eyes wide, "this is the Ember Island ferry!"

"So it is," he agreed amiably. "My name is Silas, and I work this vessel most days. Well, me and Misty, that is." He swept an arm down at the water. Looking over the railing, Ty Lee saw the pink bulk of a sea lion below. _So that's what that face was – a sea lion, _she marveled. "I admit that I don't usually pick up passengers this way, though," he remarked. "Folks usually wait at the landings. - Go, Misty. Let's go home."

"_Groooonk!" _Misty agreed, and began to swim lazily.

"Are you ladies heading to Ember Island?" Silas asked calmly, glancing at the rowboat.

"Ye-es," Ty Lee admitted. She could feel her face flushing scarlet. "But...we weren't going to...take the ferry..."

"Of course. I understand. The ferry does have some disadvantages." The old man smiled kindly and bent over the small craft, peering at Azula. "It looks as if your friend has a few injuries," he said quietly. "If you don't mind, may I take a look at her? I'm a waterbender. I might be able to help her."

"Please do," Ty Lee agreed quickly. She was beginning to like this man. "She was...well, some people hurt her. I haven't had a change to get her to a healer yet."

"Well then, let's take a look." Silas bent down, slipped his arms beneath the limp form of the former princess, and lifted her out of the rowboat. Azula didn't so much as twitch. Carefully, Silas laid her out on the deck of the ferry and knelt down beside her, running his hands gently down her limbs. His face was grave. "Hm. A few broken bones – mostly ribs, I think. A lot of cuts and bruises, and even a couple of burns. This might take a while." His blue eyes smiled at Ty Lee. "You could hold her hand while I work. If she can feel anything, she'll know you're there."

Nodding, the acrobat knelt down beside Azula's still form, gathering her fingers into her own. The unconscious girl looked impossibly pale in the torchlight. Ty Lee bit her lips as she watched Silas bend water beneath his hands. Carefully, he guided the liquid against Azula's belly.

The man worked for some time. Once or twice, Azula flinched and moaned, but she didn't seem to regain consciousness. Ty Lee gently caressed her hand, watching the procedures anxiously. At last, Silas sat back. "Well, that's about as much as I can do for her right now," he said quietly. "It should help. She won't be in quite as much pain when she wakes." He rose stiffly to his feet. "Now, young lady, would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" he asked. "I made some just before Misty found you. It should still be hot enough to drink."

"I'd like that," Ty Lee said shyly. "Just let me cover Az...my friend. I don't want her to get cold." He nodded and turned to the bow of the vessel. Ty Lee spread the cloak over Azula and made sure it was snugly tucked under her body. Then, with one final pat to her friend's arm, Ty Lee made her way to where Silas waited.

The tea was still pleasantly warm, and the smell of it mingled with the salt in the air. Ty Lee drank it with some satisfaction. The waterbender offered her another cup, and she nodded with a smile; the fragrant liquid poured out. She sipped at it. "We'll be arriving at Ember Island in another ten minutes or so," Silas remarked after a while. "I assume that you two girls don't want to be dropped at the regular landing. Is there someplace else I can take you?"

Ty Lee hesitated, taking a long sip of tea. "Yes, please," she said softly. "There's a private dock on the south side of the island, just past the first strip of private beach."

"Ozai's Landing?" Silas asked mildly.

Nervously, Ty Lee nodded. "Yes," she said. "We...have a place to go that's near there."

"Then that's were we'll drop you," he said decisively. He leaned over the rail. "You hear that, Misty? Go to Ozai's Landing so we can drop off our young guests." The sea lion growled. "Don't complain. You're the one who found them – the least you can do is help them out." A long gurgle was the beast's only reply; it put its head down and sank lower in the water, churning it with its powerful flippers. Silas turned to Ty Lee with a smile. "She's a grumpy old girl, but the best swimmer in the sea."

"I think she's beautiful," Ty Lee said earnestly. "If she hadn't found us, I don't know what would have happened to us."

Silas looked grave. "Well, you either would have floated into the eddy that flows around the north side of the island, and been pulled out to sea, or you would have been dashed on the rocks farther south. Not much chance of survival either way." The acrobat bit her lip, and he smiled. "All's well that ends well. Just make sure you don't try to take a little boat like that out onto the ocean again, unless you've got a sailor with you. All right, young lady?"

"I won't," she said soberly. "I wouldn't even have done it this time, only..." She stopped, blushing again. "Only I had to," she finished sadly.

Kindly, Silas laid a hand on her shoulder. "I can tell you're a good girl," he said, "and that you have a kind heart. Don't worry. Whatever trouble you and your friend are in, you don't need to fear anything from old Silas." He peered out into the darkness. "Ah, here's Ozai's Landing. Best get ready to get off, Miss."

Ty Lee wordlessly went to Azula and gathered her up in her arms. The girl's head rolled against her shoulder, spilling her dark hair over Ty Lee's arm. Cradling her gently, Ty Lee made her way where Silas was lowering the gangplank of the ferry. She paused at the top of it. "Thank you," she said, her huge gray eyes full of gratitude. "I wish we could repay you – and Misty."

"Don't worry about it." The old man smiled. "Misty and I were glad to help. And, should you need anything – a healer, maybe, or just a friend – you're welcome to come down to the ferry landing after dark. My house is right near there. I'd be glad of the company, young lady."

"Ty Lee," the acrobat said softly. "My...my name is Ty Lee."

The blue eyes smiled. "Very well," he said. "Good night, Ty Lee."

"Good night." She gave him one last smile before making her way down the plank. She heard the boat pull away into the darkness, but she didn't look back; she knew they had to get under cover quickly. _Half the Fire Nation's got to be after us by now, _she thought. Ty Lee hurried from the dock, up a barely-remembered footpath. The front door of the place was locked. The acrobat kicked it open, stepped inside, and closed it again. Then she drew a long breath. _Safe._

It was Fire Lord Ozai's old beach house, long neglected. Zuko had had the place cleaned and refinished when he came to power, but he didn't use it. Ty Lee thought it would be a safe enough place for them to hide while Azula's injuries healed. She carried her precious burden to the nearest bedroom. It looked like it might once have been Zuko's. Carefully, Ty Lee laid Azula down on the bed and spread the comforter over her. "There," she whispered, brushing the hair back from the girl's pale forehead and kissing it. "You're safe now, 'Zula. Sleep. I'll be right here if you need me."

Ty Lee was very tired. She considered going and trying to find a couch that she could drag into the room for herself, but she could barely keep her eyes open. She bit her lips, then sighed and crawled onto the bed beside Azula. She was careful to keep a distance between them. Her cheek rested against the crimson cushions. "Night, Zula," she yawned. "See you...in the morning..." Ty Lee's eyes closed, and she was asleep forthwith.


	20. Chapter 20

When Ty Lee opened her eyes the next morning, she couldn't figure out where she was at first. She had some disjointed memories about sea lions and old men and broken gliders, but she couldn't quite place the white walls and dark trim that hovered before her groggy eyes. She rolled over, and found the still form of Azula beside her. Then she remembered – they were on Ember Island, in the Fire Lord's beach house.

The acrobat sat up, yawning and stretching, then reached over to brush Azula's forehead. She thought the girl's head was in a different position than it had been the night before. "Hey, 'Zula," she said softly. "You awake?" Azula didn't actually move, but her eyes fluttered beneath their lids. Ty Lee leaned forward in sudden hope. "Azula?" she murmured. "It's me, Ty Lee. Can you hear me?" Slowly, the eyelids lifted, and slivers of amber glinted at the acrobat. Azula's brows came down just a bit. Her lips moved slightly. "I'm here, 'Zula." Ty Lee's heart leaped with mingled joy and concern. "Are you okay?" She moved her hand down to rest against the pallid cheek. "You got hurt. Do you feel all right? Are you in any pain?"

"Nnngh..." The girl's frail chest began to rise and fall rapidly, and her eyes opened wide. To Ty Lee's sudden dismay, she saw that the pupils had shrunk to mere pinpoints in the amber. She'd only seen Azula look like that in the middle of shrieking fits! Words fell from the invalid's trembling lips in short, breathless bursts. "Huh-hah-haven't you done enough, Father? You made me – _you made me!_" Her body began to shake.

"'Zula..." Ty Lee quickly took Azula's head between her hands, trying to catch her gaze. "It's me. It's Ty Lee! You're safe, 'Zula. It's okay."

"Let me go. Let me go!" Azula started to thrash, striking the acrobat's hands away. Her body arched, and she cried out in pain – tears overflowed down her cheeks. "Oh, gods, make it stop. Please, make it stop! Mother..._Mother!"_

Ty Lee was alarmed. She quickly hopped back out of range of the flailing fists. She hesitated a moment, torn, her face crumpling – then she acted. Nimbly avoiding a frantic swipe at her head, she jabbed at a pressure point under Azula's arm. The girl's left side collapsed, but she still clawed frantically at Ty Lee with her right hand; Ty Lee dealt her another blow, this time to her right shoulder, and Azula fell limp. She was still screaming and sobbing, but at least she couldn't injure herself anymore.

Tears trickled down Ty Lee's cheeks as she gathered the wailing prisoner into her arms. "I'm so sorry, 'Zula," she whispered, pulling her onto her lap. "I'm sorry I had to do that. I hope I didn't hurt you. I just couldn't let you hurt yourself! Please forgive me." She rocked Azula gently, just as she had in the rowboat the night before, crooning. "Shh. It's okay. You're safe now. I'm taking care of you. Shh."

It took a long time, but Azula's cries finally ceased, and she lay quietly in Ty Lee's arms. Her body still convulsed with a sob every now and then, but she seemed calmer. Ty Lee bent down to kiss her forehead. "I'm going to go see if I can find you anything to eat, 'Zula," she said softly. "You'll feel better once you've had a little breakfast. Don't be afraid; I'll be right back." She laid the girl back on the pillows and tucked the comforter around her. Azula's eyes followed her warily as she slipped from the room.

Twenty minutes of determined searching produced a small collection of items that, while not exactly depressing, certainly wasn't overly encouraging. There was a tin box, half-filled with stale biscuits; a container of tea leaves, and a tea set to brew it in; and, on the very top shelf of an otherwise-empty liquor cabinet, a bottle of sake. It was better than nothing. Ty Lee brewed some tea, set it and the biscuit box on a tray, and carried it back to the room where she had left Azula.

The invalid was staring at her own hands, muttering to herself and turning them in the light that streamed in her bedroom window. Her amber eyes flicked to Ty Lee's. She didn't seem to quite recognize her, but she at least didn't have that wild look any longer. "Hey," the acrobat said gently, setting the tray down carefully on the bedside table. "I've found you some tea and cookies. It isn't much, but it'll have to do until I can get us something better." She lifted up one of the biscuits, moving it slowly within range of Azula's arm. "Want one?"

For a moment, it seemed like Azula hadn't understood, as she simply stared. Then she reached out and took it. Ty Lee smiled encouragingly as the girl nibbled at the pastry. "Tastes good, doesn't it?" Ty Lee poured a cup of tea. Then she hesitated. _I wonder if it's dangerous to let her have this? It's pretty hot. _She bit her lip. In the end, she decided to blow on it until it was cooler. Then she put it in Azula's thin hand. "Drink," she said gently. "Here, have another biscuit with it." Azula ate in silence, her eyes unfocused and gazing down at the bedspread.

In the end, Ty Lee managed to coax four biscuits and two cups of tea into her friend. Then, without a word, Azula lay back down, rolling so her back was to Ty Lee. The acrobat gently drew the covers over Azula's bony shoulders. "Okay. You sleep again," she said softly. "Rest all you need to, 'Zula. You're safe here." She packed up the tea things on the tray again. "If you need me, just call," she told her. Then she took the tray into the kitchen to wash up.

Azula didn't stir again that day. She slept like one dead, her cheek pressed into the pillows, her left hand curled up on the cushions like a child's. Ty Lee looked out the window as the sun began to sink on the horizon. _It's almost dark. That's when Silas said I could come look for him, if I needed anything. Well, for sure we need food, and Azula needs a healer badly. _She looked back down at the girl. Azula's face was relaxed in sleep. The lines of pain had softened. _I'll have to leave her alone to do it. I wish I didn't have to – Agni only knows what she might do if she wakes up. But I really don't have any choice. We have to have food, and I can't take care of her by myself. And I sure can't bring her with me. _Ty Lee got up, stooped over the bed, and laid her hand against Azula's forehead. "I'm going to go get us something to eat," she said softly. "I'll probably be gone a couple hours. You just sleep, 'Zula. I'll be back really soon, okay?" There was no response. Ty Lee sighed, turning away.

Even though the Fire Nation was the warmest of the Four Nations, it still got chilly in the evenings. The bare skin of Ty Lee's arms shuddered at the rush of night air. She rubbed them, glancing around uneasily. Despite the fact that night had fallen, she couldn't help but feel exposed as she slipped from the house and down the path that led to the shore. _They've got to be looking for us, _she thought, slipping from shadow to shadow. _I wonder if anyone will think to look here? I hope they don't for a while...at least until Azula's strong enough to travel. _She paused at the foot of the path, peering nervously out at the beach. It looked deserted. Ty Lee took a few long minutes to make sure that it was. Then she moved carefully along the shoreline, keeping as close to the cliffs and concealing brush as possible. A twig snapped under her foot, and she winced. _Ugh, I've never been good at this stealth thing. That was always Mai's department. _The thought sent a pang through her. She could once again see the hard anger in Mai's face, and feel her weight as she had crumpled back into her arms. Ty Lee sighed softly, slipping behind a tree. _I wonder if I'll ever see her again?_

When she finally reached the ferry landing, Ty Lee crouched down in the shadows to look for Silas's house. It didn't take long to spot it – a hut sat off to one side in the shade of three large trees, its windows glowing invitingly out of the gloom. She looked carefully around to make sure no one was watching. Then she bolted, flying across the clearing as fast as her feet would carry her. Ty Lee reached the hut safely. Quaking – and still slightly breathless – she reached up and rapped on the door with her knuckles. A minute or two later, it opened, and Silas stood before her.

He smiled down at her. "Ty Lee. Welcome. What can I do for you tonight?"

She looked nervously over her shoulder. "I...can I tell you inside?"

"Of course." The waterbender stepped aside and welcomed her with a gesture. "Come in, come in. I was just about to have my supper. Funny thing – I thought I might have company, so I made a little extra tonight. Would you care to join me?" The delicious smell of hot rice and hamster-chicken filled her nostrils as the door closed behind her. Ty Lee was suddenly very aware of how empty her stomach felt. She hadn't eaten so much as a crumb since a few hours before she had first been arrested, and she was ravenously hungry.

"Yes, please," she said softly. "...That is, if you really don't mind..."

"Not at all." Silas gestured at a sturdy stool and took a seat himself, pushing the steaming bowls toward her. "Eat, my dear. I have plenty." Ty Lee accepted, and was shoveling rice into her mouth with chopsticks in a moment. The waterbender ate in companionable silence for a while, until the pace of her eating slowed. Then he set down his utensils and leaned forward. "You didn't bring your friend with you. I take it she isn't doing well?"

Ty Lee lowered her eyes. "No," she said soberly, remembering Azula's maniacal screams. "She's...not well. Not at all." She hesitated. "I think she's still in a lot of pain."

He nodded gravely. "I imagine she is. I wasn't able to heal everything last night. A few of her ribs will probably still be bothering her, and the skin of her back is still raw." He sat back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Would you like me to come and see if I can heal her further?"

"Please." Ty Lee looked up at him with an innocent smile. "And...well, we don't have any food, either. Is there any way -?"

"I'll give you some," he said promptly. "I may be just an old man, Ty Lee, but I would never dream of abandoning a nice young lady like yourself in her time of need." He got up and scooped what was left of their dinner into a bowl. "Here. Take this. Your friend can have it tonight, if she's up to it. Just let me find something for you girls to eat tomorrow, and we'll go right away."

"Thank you so much." The acrobat accepted the bowl. "I wish there was something I could do for you, Silas. You've been so kind to me! Is there anything?"

Silas smiled as he tucked a loaf of bread into a cloth bag. "Not that I can think of at the moment, my dear. I've lived here a long time, and I have everything I need. But if I think of something, I'll certainly tell you." He added a few pieces of fruit and a small bag of oats. "There. That ought to tide you girls over." Placing the bag in her hands, he smiled gravely and slung a waterskin over his shoulder. "Well, if I'm going to help your friend tonight, we'd better get going, Ty Lee. Lead the way."

"Okay." The acrobat couldn't help but wonder how Azula was going to react to Silas. After all, she'd been unconscious the first time he'd healed her. What if she began to shriek like a lunatic again? Ty Lee bit her lip as she led the way across the clearing and back toward the private beach. _I wonder how he'd react to that? The last thing I need is for him to decide she needs to be institutionalized or something, and bring some soldiers here..._ She sighed. There was no choice. Azula needed a healer, and she couldn't think of any other way to get her one.

If Silas knew whose house he was entering, he didn't say so. Ty Lee led him to the room where she had left the invalid. Azula lay quietly, her black hair spread out over the crimson cushions, looking deceptively peaceful and innocent in sleep. The acrobat laid a hand on Silas's arm. "I better wake her myself," she said softly. "If she sees you first, she might get scared." He nodded calmly and waited while Ty Lee stooped over the bed. Ty Lee very gently rubbed the side of Azula's neck. "'Zula, wake up," she murmured. "It's me – it's Ty Lee. I've brought you a healer, and some supper."The amber eyes opened a crack. The acrobat had to fight down a wave of anxiety. _What if she still doesn't recognize me? She could start screaming again. _"It's me," she said again, softly. "It's Ty Lee. Do you know me?"

Azula gazed at her quietly. "Ty?" she whispered.

_Oh, praise Agni, she's lucid. _Relief flooded Ty Lee's breast. She smiled and nodded. "That's right. It's me," she said. "I've brought a man who says he can make you feel better, okay? He's not going to hurt you. His name is Silas, and he's a healer."

"A healer..." Azula grimaced and closed her eyes again. "Okay."

Ty Lee motioned for Silas, and he moved to stand over the bed. Azula's eyes flicked open to look at him – she didn't seem to react much. "This is Silas," Ty Lee murmured. "He's going to have a look at you. I'll still be right here, 'kay?" The invalid nodded. With some trepidation, Ty Lee moved back to give the waterbender room to work.

Silas smiled kindly down at Azula. "So we finally meet properly, young lady," he said. "The last time I healed you, I think you were unconscious." He took his waterskin from his shoulder and set it down on the floor. "Now, before I begin, I'll need to take a look at you. Ty Lee said she thought you were in some pain. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

She was watching him warily. Ty Lee bit her lips as she looked on. "My back," Azula said quietly, after a short pause.

"All right." Silas nodded calmly. "Can you turn over by yourself, or do you need help?" Without a word, Azula shifted herself and turned onto her belly. She winced a few times as she did so. "Now, I'm just going to pull up your shirt so I can see what I'm doing," he said. His tone was soothing. "This won't hurt at all, so just relax, my dear." He pushed up the red fabric gently, baring the countless stripes that showed so lividly against Azula's white skin.

_She's wearing a prison tunic, _Ty Lee thought suddenly. _She's still in prison clothes, and she was last night, too...of course Silas knows! What else could she be but an escaped inmate? _She was suddenly very afraid. The man had been nothing but kind to them, but even so. How kind would he be if he really _knew_ who Azula was? He was Water Tribe. His people hadn't been well treated by Ozai and his children during the war.

Silas was very carefully running his fingers over a few of the more angry-looking wounds that striped Azula's back. "Hmm. Yes, it looks like there's a bit of infection setting in, here," he said quietly. "No wonder it's hurting you. Well, we can take care of that, can't we?" He uncorked the waterskin and drew out some of the liquid, bending it around his hands like gloves. "Now, hold still, little one. This might sting a bit at first, but I promise you'll feel a lot better afterwards." Azula closed her eyes, and he lowered his hands onto her torn skin. She was as still and silent as a statue as Silas worked, but Ty Lee saw the twitching of her jaw, and the few beads of sweat that formed on her brow.

At length, Azula gave a soft sigh of relief. Silas smiled as he withdrew his hands. "There. I bet that feels better, doesn't it?" She didn't say anything. Peering past the waterbender, Ty Lee saw that the wounds were no longer an angry red, but were now the healthier pink of healing scars. "Now, if you don't mind, little lady, I'd like to take a look at your ribs. I think I already mended the worst breaks last night, but there were still a few cracks. I imagine they must still be bothering you a bit." Azula cast him a sidelong glance. Ty Lee couldn't tell what she might be thinking. "If you could please turn onto your back, I'll take a look at them," Silas said pleasantly, bending to pick up his waterskin again. Azula complied in silence.

This procedure didn't go quite as smoothly as the last. When his hands touched Azula's side, she sucked in a sharp breath and flinched visibly. Ty Lee instinctively moved forward and grasped the girl's hand; Azula didn't look at her, but her fingers clenched tightly around the acrobat's. The old man frowned a bit. "Ach, this is worse than I thought," he said. "I missed two complete breaks." He drew more water from the skin; it swirled into a shimmering globe under his palms. "Let's fix those, little one. You'll rest much more comfortably then." Azula's hand tightened on Ty Lee's as the water glowed softly and began to sink through her skin. Ty Lee could feel her quivering, although not a sound escaped her lips.

Abruptly, Azula's hand went slack, and she gave a low groan of relief; her head fell back against the pillows. "That's better," Silas said quietly. "That's better..." He worked for a minute or two longer. Finally, with a triumphant smile, he pulled away. "Was there anything else?" he asked gently, laying his palm on Azula's forehead. "Any other pains I can heal for you?"

"No." Her voice was faint. She said nothing else.

"Good." Silas slung the now-empty waterskin over his shoulder and turned to Ty Lee. "Then I think I'll take my leave," he said quietly. "I'm sure you both need your rest. And so do I, if truth be told," he added with a grin. "My old bones aren't so spry as they used to be."

Ty Lee walked him to the door. Then, impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his wrinkled cheek. "Thank you so much," she said softly.

The old man laughed. She thought his cheeks reddened a bit. "You're very welcome, Ty Lee," he said. "Rest well."

"Silas?" The acrobat blurted his name as he started to walk back down the path. He stopped and turned back inquiringly. Ty Lee's knuckles whitened on the doorpost. "About...my friend," she faltered. "She's...I mean, I know you've seen what she's wearing, and...what you must think. But..."

The waterbender shook his head and smiled gravely. "I saw nothing," he said quietly. "And the less I know about that nothing, the better." Ty Lee stared at him. "Good night, my dear," Silas said calmly, waving his hand. Her eyes followed him down the path, until he vanished into the night. Then, with a deep breath, Ty Lee turned back inside.

It took about another twenty minutes for her to feed Azula her supper and tuck her in for the night. She gathered up the bowl and chopsticks, took them to the kitchen, and washed them. Then, wearily, Ty Lee made her way back to the bedroom. Azula was asleep, her face half-hidden in her pillow. A soft smile twitched the acrobat's lips. She glanced around. _I really should go bring a couch in here to sleep on, _she thought. A huge yawn overwhelmed her then, and she shrugged. _I'll do it tomorrow. _She crawled onto the bed beside her sleeping friend and lay down. With a contented sigh, Ty Lee closed her eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

The next couple of days were quiet ones. Azula slept much of the time, and seemed stronger and more coherent every time she woke. Ty Lee tended her faithfully – fixing her meals, brewing her tea, and making sure that she was comfortable. On the afternoon of the fourth day, Ty Lee decided to run Azula a hot bath. In her explorations, she'd found a wardrobe that contained some of Mai's clothes, ready for any holidays that she and Zuko might take on the island together. With a little pang of conscience, Ty Lee took some of these. It was time, she decided, for Azula to bathe and get rid of the prison clothes she had been wearing.

It took some time for Ty Lee to heat enough water. More than once, she wished that she was a firebender. At last, though, she managed to fill the bathtub, and went to Azula's bedroom.

The girl was sitting up in bed, reading a history book that Ty Lee had found for her. She looked up as the acrobat came in. "I've run you a hot bath," Ty Lee said softly. "I figured you wouldn't mind one...and then we can get rid of what you're wearing."

Azula looked at the outfit Ty Lee had chosen. It was different from what Azula would have bought for herself, the acrobat knew, but it was as close as she could get – a pair of loose-fitting trousers and a short-sleeved belly shirt, both in a dark burgundy silk. The former princess set down her book carefully and pulled back the covers. Ty Lee made a move to help her, but Azula shook her head and got up by herself. She took the garments from the acrobat's hand. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'll call if I need you."

"Okay, Azula," Ty Lee said meekly. The way Azula had spoken reminded her, just for a moment, of her old, self-assured voice. Without further ceremony, the black-haired girl left the room. Ty Lee decided to take the opportunity to strip the bed and air out the blankets. By the time Azula returned, the acrobat was plumping up the pillows. The day before, Ty Lee had moved Mai's vanity into the room; the former princess went to it, perched herself on the high stool, and took up a hairbrush. Ty Lee went back to her plumping of pillows.

She had just finished the last cushion when she heard a pained hiss. Looking back, she saw Azula huddled over on her stool, clutching at her wrist. Sympathy flooded the acrobat's face. The long months in shackles hadn't done Azula's limbs any good; both her wrists and her ankles were arthritic now. She didn't talk much about it, but Ty Lee knew that they pained her – especially when she was trying to do something with her hands, like brushing her hair. "Do you want my help?" Ty Lee asked softly, turning toward her friend. Azula glanced at her with a slight frown, but sighed and nodded. The acrobat padded over the carpet to her, took the black-handled brush from her fingers, and began to gently tease the tangles out of Azula's damp hair.

It was pleasant to be with her friend, just quietly smoothing out her ebony locks. Ty Lee hummed softly to herself as she worked, pulling apart the worst of the tangles with her fingers before applying the hairbrush. Azula's hair felt soft in her hands. When she had finished with the brush, she picked up a comb and a small bottle of conditioning oil. The delicious smell of jasmine wafted into the air as she dripped it onto the implement. Ty Lee set to work again, applying the oiled comb to the tips of the hair first, then working her way up to the roots. When she was finished, Azula's hair looked smooth and sleek. She set down the comb and surveyed her work with satisfaction. "Do you want me to put your hair up?" she asked.

"No. It's okay." Azula was still holding her right arm, gazing down at it absently.

"Does it still hurt?" Ty Lee moved to stand beside her. Azula glanced at her with a quiet nod. "Here," the acrobat said softly, taking the hand in hers. "Let me help you." She began to massage the bony wrist, running her thumbs firmly over the joint and up over the heel of the hand. Azula gave a soft sigh of relief.

Looking up, Ty Lee found her gaze meeting her friend's. She was suddenly struck by a strange impulse. When she considered it later, she thought that it might have been the contact of their hands, or maybe just the way that Azula was looking at her, with her amber eyes half-closed in lazy contentment. Whatever the cause of the whim, Ty Lee acted on it without thinking. She leaned forward and captured Azula's pink lips with her own. They felt soft and warm.

A few seconds later, the impact of what she was doing struck Ty Lee – she jerked back suddenly, as if she had been stung, snatching her hands away. Shame and confusion flooded her. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I...I'm sorry, Azula! I don't know what I..." The former princess was looking at her. She didn't seem angry – just curious, and perhaps a bit confused. Mortified, Ty Lee turned away. "I'm sorry," she breathed again, through the tears that were welling up. Then, unable to bear it any longer, she fled into the kitchen.

Flinging herself down on her knees in a corner, Ty Lee burst into sobs of humiliation and self-loathing. _Why, why, why did I _do _that? What was I thinking? Now she's going to think that I'm a freak. What...why would I even think to do that? _She wept bitterly. The thought that the kiss had been pleasant – that she had actually enjoyed it – only made her cry harder. _Azula's a girl. Girls aren't supposed to kiss each other! What's the matter with me? _She buried her face in her hands.

The soft sound of a clearing throat made Ty Lee's head jerk up. Azula was standing over her, leaning against the counter. "What's the matter, Ty Lee?" she asked quietly.

The acrobat stared at her in disbelief. "What's the matter?" she echoed. "Azula, what do you mean? I...I _kissed_ you!"

Azula cocked her head a bit. The hint of a smile played about her lips. "I take it you didn't enjoy it, then?" Ty Lee was astonished. She gaped at the girl speechlessly. Azula's amusement seemed to grow. "Well, what else am I supposed to think? If kissing me makes you cry like this..."

"N-no." Ty Lee choked on a sob, wiping her face with her sleeve. "It isn't like that at all! I mean, it...I didn't hate...I d-don't know, I should have _asked_ you, at least...I t-took advantage...I didn't mean to, it just _happened..."_

"Ty Lee." The voice of the former princess broke into Ty Lee's weepy self-reproaches. "If I hadn't liked it, don't you think that I would have stopped you?" The acrobat was struck speechless again, staring up at Azula with her mouth open. "Of course, I wasn't _expecting _it that time. So we'll have to try a different experiment." Azula pushed away from the counter and crouched down to Ty Lee's level. She seemed very calm, Ty Lee thought dimly. The acrobat was suddenly very _aware_ of Azula. Everything about her seemed to stand out in stark relief: her golden gaze; the chiseled line of her collarbone; the way her chest moved as she breathed; the heat flowing off her white skin, which Ty Lee could feel against her bare arms. A moment later, Azula leaned forward. Her hand cupped Ty Lee's cheek and jaw, tipping her head back. Without another word, Azula kissed her.

Ty Lee was sure of it - the deluge of sensations was going to kill her. Azula's hands on her face – the softness of her lips – the gentle wash of her breath over Ty Lee's cheek – it was all too much. It was like fire. It was like a flood. It was like nothing the little acrobat had ever experienced. She groaned softly, slumping into the other girl. She felt Azula's left arm move to support her, and thought that she had never known such a delicious feeling. By the time the kiss broke, Ty Lee was dazed and gasping, and she knew one thing more surely than she had ever known anything in all her life.

She had fallen completely and hopelessly in love with Azula.

Really, now that Ty Lee thought about it – and think she did, leaning deliriously against Azula's body, and feeling her wiry arms around her – it had been going on for a long time already. She just hadn't recognized it for what it was before that impulsive kiss. Ty Lee screwed her eyes shut and clung to her with both arms. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she might ever do something like this. But now it seemed almost inevitable, as if she should have known long ago that this was coming.

After a while, Azula pulled back to look at her. "How was that one?" she asked calmly. "Are you going to cry again?"

Ty Lee laughed. She couldn't help it. She raised her head to beam at the former princess, her eyes as bright as two stars. "I won't cry," she said softly. "But...but I might want more like that."

Azula shrugged, raising a brow. She looked rather pleased with herself. "Oh, I suppose I could accommodate you occasionally," she said airily. "I'll have to consult my schedule..." The acrobat giggled. She felt giddy, as if she'd drunk too much sake. Azula laid both her hands on Ty Lee's shoulders. "Are you okay now?" she asked quietly.

"I'm more than okay." Ty Lee wriggled happily, still beaming.

"Good." Azula's smile was calm and steady. "Can we talk, then? I think I'm ready for you to tell me exactly what happened while I was unconscious."

"Sure. Of...of course, Azula." Ty Lee was a little disappointed at the change of subject, but she hadn't yet told Azula everything, so of course she would want to know. "I'll fix us some tea first. Do you...do you want to have it in bed?"

Azula shook her head, glancing at the low table that sat in the middle of the room. "No. We'll have it in here, instead. I'm tired of sitting in that room." The acrobat nodded and got up to start a fire. Azula moved to sit cross-legged by the table; her amber eyes followed the other girl's movements. Ty Lee soon had the tea brewed. She set the teapot on the table, then laid out their cups. Before she could pick up the teapot again, Azula grasped it, and poured her own cup of tea. Ty Lee nodded to herself as she knelt down across from her. _Of course she wants to do things for herself. She's been flat on her back for days. _The hawk eyes met hers. "So, walk me through it, Ty Lee," Azula said quietly. "Tell me everything. I want every detail you can remember."

"All right." The acrobat rubbed the bridge of her nose thoughtfully. "Well, first I got arrested in the afternoon. I guess I'll start there." She glanced at Azula hopefully, and the black-haired girl nodded. "Okay. So some guards came and arrested me and took me to this room with a chair, and they asked me a whole bunch of questions. So then I wanted to know what was going on, and they said someone tried to kill your brother, and they figured you were behind it. I told them you didn't, of course." Azula gave a small smile. "I was scared. But then Mai came and got me, and said she knew I didn't do anything bad. She took me to her quarters and told me you were being tortured, and that Zuko was going to have you killed later. She...she wouldn't listen to me."

"Not surprising, I suppose," Azula said coolly. "Zuko's always been her blind spot."

"I guess," Ty Lee faltered. "But even so, I thought she'd...well, anyway, she wouldn't listen. I knew then that I had to do something to save your life, 'Zula. So I hit her." Azula's eyes widened a touch, and Ty Lee nodded. "Not hard! Just enough to keep her paralyzed for an hour or so. I took her signet ring -"

"You took her _signet ring?" _The former princess leaned forward with great interest.

"Well, yeah. Then I went and got the glider that Aang gave me, and I went to your tower. I pretended like I'd hurt my leg, so they wouldn't think anything of my glider – I had it folded up into a staff. I flashed Mai's ring and told the guards some story about Zuko sending me." Ty Lee paused to refresh her memory with a sip of tea. "Then I beat up the people who were hurting you. I unchained you, and then I tied you to me with some ropes and jumped off the top of the tower with my glider. Then I crashed it near the ferry landing, the Ember Island one. I found a rowboat, and put you in it, and started to row for Ember Island. I figured that would be a good place for us to hide out until you were strong again."

Azula nodded, lifting her cup to her lips. "It was a good thought. It's one of the safer places in the Fire Nation for that, I'd think."

Ty Lee felt a warm glow at Azula's approval. She blushed in pleasure and looked down at the table. "I rowed until it got dark, but then we got caught in a fog, and I couldn't see anything," she went on. "We probably would have died, but the sea lion that pulls the ferry found us. That's where I met Silas, the old man who healed you. He runs the ferry." Azula sipped her tea without comment. "He was really nice to me, and gave me some tea. He dropped us off at your father's private dock. - Well, I guess it's your _brother's _private dock, now..."

"Yes, yes." The former princess waved her hand with a touch of impatience. "I guess I don't need to ask you if you think this Silas is trustworthy." Both girls were silent for a while. Azula appeared to be thinking deeply. "What did you do with the glider?" she asked suddenly.

Ty Lee, who had just been thinking about Misty and wondering what she ate, looked at her companion in momentary confusion. "The – glider?"

"Yes. Your glider. The one you crashed," Azula said. "What did you do with it after you crashed it?"

The acrobat blinked. "Well...nothing," she admitted. "It was wrecked, so I just left it there. I don't think it was fixable."

"But you left it there." Azula's tone was calm. "You left it near the ferry landing to Ember Island." She scratched her nose and leaned one elbow on the table, looking at the acrobat levelly. "Your glider's a pretty...distinctive thing, right? There aren't too many people who have one." Ty Lee nodded blankly. "Then if anyone finds the thing, they're likely to wonder about it. And word will get back to someone who knows..."

"Oh!" The acrobat's mouth fell open in dismay. "And they'll figure out where we are!" Her eyes filled with tears as this sank in. "I'm sorry, Azula. I didn't...I didn't think. Oh, I'm so stupid..."

"Relax, Ty." Azula's voice was calm. "There's no fixing it now, and I'm not angry at you. We'll just have to figure out what we're going to do." Ty Lee fell silent, biting her lips. The former princess drank a bit more. "Well, obviously we don't have the luxury of time. But I'm not strong enough to travel yet. My ankles still bother me quite a lot. We can speed that up if we can get your Silas to work on them, but I think it'll still be at least another week or so. We'll just have to prepare to leave then, and hope no one figures things out before that."

Ty Lee nodded. "I'm really sorry, Azula," she said humbly. "I'm just not as smart as you."

"I'm free, aren't I?" Azula set down her now-empty cup with a crooked smile. "Then you did just fine." She poured herself more tea, and topped up Ty Lee's. "There's no point in rehashing it," she said. "Let's talk about something else." The acrobat nodded miserably.

The two girls sipped and chatted quietly for a long time after that. Ty Lee's misery receded after a while, and she began to simply enjoy the company. Azula didn't really talk much – mostly, she just asked questions and listened – but she seemed fairly content, as well. Her eyes didn't look as haunted as they once had. Ty Lee studied the girl's face, her gaze lingering on the high cheekbones, the aristocratic nose, and the perfect curve of the lips. She had always thought that Azula was beautiful. Now she seemed even more so. Ty Lee couldn't help remembering that last kiss; her heartbeat quickened at the very thought.

"Oh, it's okay. Actually, talking is really overrated." The dry words broke in on Ty Lee's thoughts. The acrobat blinked, and found Azula watching her; the former princess wore an amused half-smile. Ty Lee flushed scarlet as she realized that she had been staring. She began to stutter a confused apology. Azula gave a soft laugh and waved her words off. "It's fine. It's getting late, anyway. We should get some sleep."

"Yeah." Ty Lee nodded quietly, getting up and gathering the tea things. "You go ahead, 'Zula. I'll come make sure you're all right as soon as I've cleaned up here." Azula rose wordlessly and headed for bed while Ty Lee set to work on their dishes.

A few minutes later, Ty Lee stood in the doorway of the bedroom looking in. Azula was already lying down, her eyes closed, the red satin comforter tucked up under her arm. She looked peaceful. A soft smile curved Ty Lee's lips; she turned away. "Hey. Where are you going?" The acrobat turned back. Azula was looking at her, her arm tucked up beneath her head.

"Uh..." The acrobat smiled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was...just going to get that divan from Mai's room. - To sleep on."

"What for?" Azula propped her head up on her hand, raising a brow. "Haven't you been sleeping in this bed since we got here?" Ty Lee stared at her mutely, and the former princess shrugged and smiled. "It's okay."After some deep hesitation, Ty Lee quietly walked to the side of the bed and slipped out of her shoes. Azula watched lazily as the girl slid her legs beneath the covers. Uncertainly, Ty Lee lay down, awkwardly pulling away when she felt her arm touch the other girl's. "Come here," Azula murmured, and Ty Lee felt an imperious tug on her shirt. She didn't resist; she let Azula pull her closer, until she was resting in the girl's arms, her forehead pressing against her bony shoulder. Ty Lee shivered, feeling an odd mixture of elation and fear. "It was just a kiss, you know," Azula remarked quietly, closing her eyes. "It doesn't really change anything."

Ty Lee lay still, listening to the soft sound of Azula's beating heart, and breathing in the fragrance of the scented oil that still lingered on her hair. She couldn't help reflecting that Azula was wrong. Yes, she was wrong...it had been much more than just a kiss. And it had changed _everything._

**Author's Note: to see an illustration of this chapter, go to /art/Broken-Dragon-Tyzula-104595791  
**


	22. Chapter 22

Ty Lee woke with a soft groan. She didn't really want to be awake, but something felt different, and it was nagging at her. _Go away, _she told it, keeping her eyes closed. _I want to sleep! _But it, whatever "it" was, refused to be silenced. At last, sighing in defeat, Ty Lee opened her eyes and looked around.

She was still tucked under the warm comforter, her head resting on the pillows. Early morning light filtered softly in through the window. Ty Lee yawned and stretched and rubbed her eyes. There was still something different, something not quite...right. She blinked groggily and looked around, trying to figure out what it was. _Hey, _she thought suddenly, _where's Azula? _The girl was nowhere to be seen. Her spot on the bed was notably vacant. Ty Lee laid her hand against Azula's pillow, but it was quite cold – the former princess had not been there for some time. The acrobat listened, but could hear nothing. "Azula?" she quavered, her alarm steadily growing. "Azula, where are you?" There was no response.

Now truly frightened, Ty Lee scrambled out of bed and went up the hall, peering into every room as she went. She finally found Azula in the living room. The former princess was sitting quietly on the floor, cross-legged – she was apparently deep in thought. Ty Lee breathed a sigh of relief. "There you are," she said. "You scared me!"

"Hm?" Azula glanced up mildly. "Oh – good morning, Ty Lee." The acrobat paused, her brow puckering. There was something..._different_...about Azula. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Almost without thinking, Ty Lee examined the girl's aura. Her eyes widened. Instead of the churning red and black it had been for so long, the thing was a deep, rich, uniform scarlet. The black was still there, pulsating on the outer edges of the aura like a shadow. She could see occasional flickers of some other color next to the girl's skin, but couldn't quite catch what it was. "Something wrong?" Azula asked calmly, raising a brow.

"Um...no. No, I guess not." The acrobat rubbed the back of her head, not sure what to make of this.

"I've been meditating," Azula said quietly, as if answering a question. "I think it helps. Things seem a lot clearer now." She turned back to her contemplation of the wall. "I could use some tea."

"Oh." Ty Lee saw a flare of purple pulse through Azula's aura. _Huh. Haven't seen that color in her since before she was thrown in prison. _"Uh, I'll...make you some, then. And fix breakfast, I guess. Give me a bit, 'kay, 'Zula?"

It didn't take long to prepare the food – all they had left from what Silas had given them was a bit of bread and a couple of pieces of fruit. _Guess I'll hafta go ask him for more tonight. And maybe I'll ask if he'd look at 'Zula's ankles then, too. _Ty Lee set out the meal on the low table and went to get Azula. The former princess came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Unlike the day before, she allowed Ty Lee to pour her tea. "We need to talk, Ty," the girl said calmly, picking up the cup. "We have to plan out what we're going to do." Ty Lee nodded her agreement, pouring a second cup of tea for herself. "There is one disadvantage to Ember Island - the only way off for us is the ferry," Azula said slowly. "I don't like that. It leaves us entirely too dependent on this waterbender of yours."

"Yeah. That's true, I guess. But I think we can trust him." Ty Lee nodded firmly as she blew into her steaming drink.

"That's not the point." Azula shook her head. "Even if we trusted your Silas implicitly – which we shouldn't, by the way, Ty Lee -" the acrobat almost rolled her eyes, "there's only one _way_ off the island. So if my brother were to figure out that we're here, all he'd have to do is station his soldiers to watch the ferry landings, and we'd be trapped. Then it would only be a matter of time before he found us."

"I guess so." Ty Lee bit her lips. "But there isn't really anything we can do about that. - Is there?"

Azula sighed. "No." She toyed with her teacup. "Well, no point in beating our heads on that wall. Let's talk about where we're going." Azula paused to take a sip. "Ideally I'd like for us to get out of the Fire Nation entirely," she said quietly. "Our best bet would probably be the Earth Kingdom. I've still got a few connections there, and we might be able to disappear in a place like Omashu or Ba Sing Se. But I would imagine my brother is having the docks and the airfields watched pretty closely." Ty Lee nodded and sighed. "That leaves us with the Fire Nation. We can't stay on this island, and we certainly can't go back to the capital. Where will we go?"

"We could go to my hometown," Ty Lee said cheerfully. "It's pretty nice there, and...oh, wait, no. I'd be recognized."

"I suppose we could try a place like Sozinar," Azula mused. "It's just a little fishing village, so it would probably be far enough off Zuko's search grid. The problem is that they don't get a lot of strangers there. We'd stick out like sore thumbs."

The acrobat scratched her head, frowning. "I know you've been in prison for a while, 'Zula, but...well, don't you know anybody who could help?" she asked. "Mai always said that you were still pretty well connected. Isn't there anyone you could ask?"

Azula gave Ty Lee a searching look. She was silent for a minute or so. "Well," she said slowly, "I suppose I might have a few...contacts. But I haven't spoken to any of them since Zuko threw me into that cage. I've...I haven't even thought about them. Not for a long time." She shuffled her cup idly against the tabletop, her chin resting thoughtfully on her hand. "The problem is," she mused, "I've lost all my bargaining power. I don't have anything that anyone wants anymore. My old allies would gain more by clapping me in irons and turning me in than they would by backing me. - A lot more."

Ty Lee's brow wrinkled, and her lip quivered a bit. "Isn't there anyone who might help you just to be nice? You know, because they like you?"

The former princess gave Ty Lee a weary look of affectionate disgust. "Ty Lee, people don't 'like' me. It just doesn't happen. They used to back me because I had power and prestige and could help them get what they wanted. Now that I don't, they won't." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "People might help _you _because they like you, Ty...can you think of anyone?"

Well, that was an idea. The acrobat tapped her finger against her lower lip and thought. At last, she sighed. "It's no good, 'Zula. Pretty much everybody I know's either a noble or a royal, and the ones that aren't wouldn't help me because they kind of...well, they don't like you much." She glanced at Azula apologetically.

"Yes. I am rather the albatross around our necks, aren't I?" Although Azula's tone was light, Ty Lee could see a shadow of fear and desperation flickering in her golden eyes. The former princess ate a bite of bread. "We have to find a way out of the Fire Nation," she said darkly. "This place is never going to be safe for us again. We have to leave, Ty Lee. We have to find some way!" She tossed the rest of her bread down and sighed impatiently, fidgeting. "Somehow, we have to either get passage on a ship or balloon, or we have to get one of our own."

"Hm." Ty Lee suddenly brightened. "Hey, I know. We could travel in disguise!" she said cheerfully. "You always hear stories about people doing that. Aang told me that once Sokka put on this beard, and he and Katara pretended to be a lot older than they were so they could pretend they were Aang's parents, and -"

The acrobat stopped, for the excellent reason that Azula was very obviously no longer listening. "Disguise," the former princess mused, her eyes narrowing in thought. "That's...not a bad idea, Ty Lee. People will be looking for us by description. That's how these things work. They'll have wanted posters up everywhere, with sketches and a little writeup of what we look like. So we'll have to change our most defining characteristics."

"Like what?" Ty Lee asked cheerfully. She'd loved playing dress-up as a child, and she still harbored a secret liking for it.

Azula sat up straight and laid her hands on her knees, regarding Ty Lee critically. "Well, for one thing, you can't wear pink," she said. "You'll have to take some of Mai's clothes – preferably black, if you can find it. And we'll have to cut your hair short."

"Cut my hair?" Ty Lee's eyes widened. She pulled her long braid over her shoulder and hugged it protectively as her lip began to quiver. "B-but Azula, I've...I've n-never cut my hair..."

"I know. That's why we have to do it. The minute anyone sees that braid of yours, it'll be straight back to the dungeon with both of us." The former princess caught the look on Ty Lee's face, and her voice softened. "Look, it's just hair. It'll grow back. If it'll make you feel better, I'll cut mine, too."

With an effort, the little acrobat swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat and shook her head bravely. "No. That's...that's okay, 'Zula. If you say I have to, I'll do it."

"Good girl." Azula favored her with a small smile. "Now for me. I'll tie my hair back, maybe in a short braid – something peasant-like. And maybe we can find a way to color it. That should help, at least."

"Yeah, but it's not so much your hair that'll give you away, 'Zula," Ty Lee said softly. "It's more your eyes." Azula frowned a bit. "Well, it's pretty much only nobles who have those really golden eyes, right? So that would tell people you weren't a peasant right away. And yours are...well, yours really stand out. People know that about you."

Slowly, Azula nodded. "That's true," she said. "I think you're right. So, since I can't change my eye color, we'll have to hide them." She scratched her ear, frowning down at the table. "I could go as a blindfolded prisoner, I suppose, but I'd rather not go there."

"What if you were just blind?" Ty Lee suggested. "We could maybe make you up as an old, blind woman, or something, and I could be your seeing-eye...uh...person. Then it wouldn't matter if you were limping and things, 'cuz old women do that anyway."

The former princess was silent for a moment or two, looking keenly at her companion. "Ty Lee," she said quietly, "that may just be the most brilliant thing that I have ever heard you say." The acrobat blushed and beamed with pleasure at the praise. "All right; we'll get things ready to go today. No sense in waiting. Clean up, and I'll see if Mai has a pair of scissors in her vanity."

It felt as if something had got stuck in Ty Lee's throat. She nodded nonetheless, determined to show her courage and make Azula proud of her. Her hands still trembled as she cleared away the remains of their breakfast. _Maybe Mai won't have scissors, and we'll have to wait, _she thought hopefully. Her hopes were dashed a moment later, when Azula appeared with the menacing implement. Miserably, the little acrobat sat down on the floor as instructed. _I won't cry, _she told herself stoutly. It got more difficult as she felt Azula pull out her hair ties and unravel her braid, though. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. "All right," came Azula's quiet voice. Ty Lee felt the girl's fingers tugging gently through the hair at the nape of her neck. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee gulped down a sob. She felt the cold metal against her neck a moment late. _Snip. Snip. Snnnnnip. _Even with her eyes closed, Ty Lee could feel the weight of her hair growing lighter. The scissors were remorseless. _Snip. Snip. _Azula paused, brushing at Ty Lee's shoulders. The steel slid against Ty Lee's skin again, slipping beneath her ear. _Snip. Snnnnnip._

"There," Azula said calmly. Ty Lee opened her tight-shut eyes to find the girl crouching in front of her, looking her handiwork over critically. She nodded a bit. "It's not bad, Ty. You still look all right."

The sight of her hair lying forlornly on the floor was too much for the little acrobat. Two big tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them. She hurriedly wiped them away. "I'm s-sorry, 'Zula," she said humbly. "It's stupid to cry over this. It's j-just hair."

The amber-eyed girl nodded, not without sympathy. "You'll be fine, Ty Lee," she said. Then she paused, watching as two more tears trickled down Ty Lee's face. Ty Lee saw her sigh and smile. "Come on. You'll be all right," she said, taking the acrobat's arm and pulling her close. Ty Lee, astounded at receiving no less than two hugs from Azula in less than twenty-four hours, was struck speechless. "Better?" the former princess asked, looking down at her with something very like her old smirk. Ty Lee nodded silently. "Good." Azula released her. "I'm going to go see what Mai has in her wardrobe, and I might raid my brother's, too. Clean this up, and come to me when you're done."

She was definitely returning to her old, masterful self. Ty Lee wiped her eyes and quietly did as she was told. _It's okay, _she told herself. _Azula's not a princess anymore, but she's still a lot smarter than I am, and she's better at being the leader, anyway. _Putting away the broom, Ty Lee went to search for Azula.

She found her in Mai's room, still digging through the wardrobe. A number of garments were tossed haphazardly across the neatly-made bed. The two girls went through them to see what they could find. For Azula, they took one of Zuko's long, dark-colored cloaks, with a hood. This would be enough to cover her body and shield her face. For Ty Lee, they found a pair of Mai's loose, black trousers, a tight-sleeved burgundy shirt, and one of her shorter kimono-style jackets, also in black. Ty Lee sighed inwardly, but consoled herself with the fact that at least the _shirt_ wasn't black, and that the sleeves of the jacket were lined in a soft, cream-colored fabric. They packed the disguises into two neat bundles, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.

That night, as soon as it was dark enough, Ty Lee made another journey across the deserted beaches to the ferry landing. She was almost more frightened than she had been the first time; all the talk of disguises and escapes had impressed their danger on her. An eternity seemed to stretch in between her timid knock at Silas's door and the moment when it opened. He looked down at her with surprise. "Why, good evening, Ty Lee. I've been hoping that you would drop...ah, you've cut your hair! What a pity."

"Yeah. I, um, figured it was getting too long." The girl fidgeted. "Please, I'm so sorry to bother you, Silas, but I think we need a bit more help."

He nodded gravely. "Well, come in and we'll talk, my dear," he said quietly, stepping aside. She saw him scan the beach carefully before he closed the door behind her. "Sit down, Ty Lee, and tell me what you need," he said, turning toward her.

Ty Lee sat meekly. "Two things," she said softly. "My friend has some problems with her ankles, so I think she needs a little more healing. And..," hesitating, "we're out of food. I feel really bad asking you for more, but...we don't have any money, and I don't know how else..."

Silas sat down on a stool and nodded. "I can help you, and I will, Ty Lee." He paused. "Now, I have something I need to tell you." The acrobat looked at him, her brow creasing. "There were soldiers here yesterday. They gave me this, and they told me to be on the lookout in case two fugitives were to wind up on my ferry." He handed her a roll of paper. Ty Lee took it with her heart in her throat and slowly unrolled it. There was a crude sketch at the top, vaguely recognizable as herself and Azula. Her eyes skimmed over the words below without really reading them. "Wanted"..."Armed and Dangerous"..."Treason"..."Dead or Alive." Ty Lee's hands started to shake. Slowly she released the paper, letting it curl itself up again, and started down at the floor. She didn't know what to say.

Quietly, Silas took the handbill back from her. Ty Lee hung her head. "So you know now," she murmured. She dangled her legs and kicked them a bit, wringing her fingers together. "Will...will you still help us?"

"I said I would, and I will." She looked up at him in mingled disbelief and gratitude, and Silas smiled quietly. "If there's one thing I've learned in my years, it's that things aren't always as they appear, and neither are people. I've heard stories about the princess. If I always went by what I'd heard, I'd give you two up in a heartbeat. But I've seen how you care for her with my own eyes. And if she can inspire that kind of love and loyalty in you, who am I to say that she should be destroyed?" He rose and began to gather some things together. Ty Lee couldn't speak; she watched him mutely. "But let an old man give you some advice, Ty Lee. Not all love is healthy and healing. Remember that." He turned to her, holding out a cloth sack. "Lead the way, my dear. We'll have a look at young Azula's feet."

Ty Lee took the bag and slowly rose to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered, as her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you..." Silas smiled quietly and waited for her to lead the way back to the beach house.

Azula was lying down when they returned, once again perusing the book that Ty Lee had found for her a few days before. When they entered the room, she calmly laid it down and raised her hawk eyes to look coolly at Silas. The waterbender uncorked his waterskin. "Good evening, young lady," he said quietly. "I hear your ankles have been bothering you."

"Yes. A bit." Azula sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, unsmiling. "My wrists, too."

"Well, then. Let's take a look at them, little one." Silas took Azula's left hand and examined her wrist, probing gently with his thumbs. He made no comment until he had examined her other arm, as well. "Yes, you do seem to have some stiffness and swelling in the joints," he said. "I can probably relieve your pain for the time being, and reverse some of the damage. Don't expect complete healing, though. I'm afraid this is a chronic condition." Azula said nothing. She watched warily as the waterbender manipulated his element, drawing liquid down through the surface of her skin and slowly moving his fingers over the joints. "There," he said at length. "They shouldn't pain you as much. Let me look at your ankles." Wordlessly, Azula sat back on the bed and allowed him to examine her feet. "Yes. Same condition, I fear – some form of arthritis. Again, I can relieve your discomfort and bring down the swelling, but I can't completely heal it."

Even though they hadn't really been expecting a complete healing, Ty Lee still found herself biting her lips anxiously. If Azula was limited in how far she could walk, it would severely handicap them – and make it that much easier for anyone tracking their movements to lay their hands on them. _I guess we could try to find an ostrich-horse for her to ride, or something Problem is, we'd have to steal it, since we don't have any money. _Ty Lee bit her lip. She didn't like stealing.

As Silas recorked his waterskin, Azula frowned down at him. "You say it's incurable," she said. "Is there anything I can do to keep it under control?"

He considered. "Willow bark is good for it, as a tea and as a poultice," he said. "Blackstrap molasses with a pinch of ginger in it is good, as well – about two tablespoons in a day will help. But again, this is a chronic condition, young one. You probably won't be completely free of pain very often."

"Very well." The girl looked away, scowling. "Thank you." Her tone didn't seem to contain much actual gratitude.

Ty Lee went with him to the door again. She gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Silas," she whispered, hugging him hard. "We'd both have died if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome, child." He paused, glancing at the darkness outside. "You know," he said absently, "Misty likes you, Ty Lee. If you ever told her to tow the ferry, she'd probably do as you asked." Ty Lee blinked, her brows lowering in puzzlement. Silas smiled and shrugged. "Goodbye, young lady, and good night. Don't forget what I told you."

"I won't. Thank you." Ty Lee watched as he left, then turned back inside. The door closed behind her.


	23. Chapter 23

Ty Lee stood against the wall in an alley, her cloak pulled up well about her face, doing her best to blend in with the brickwork. She'd left the beach house about an hour ago to run this little errand. She hadn't actually told Azula where she was going – a fact that she now regretted, given that the task had now taken more than twice as long as she had expected it to. She'd never really had to sneak around before. _Wow, _she thought, peering out of her cloak at the shop across the street. _I never realized this was so hard! Mai always made it look simple. Just tiptoe, tiptoe, whoosh, swish – just like that. _She glanced at the sun; it was getting lower in the sky. Soon all the shops would be closing for the day, and her journey out here would be for naught. Ty Lee bit her lip. _I guess I just gotta stop hesitating and do this. _Taking a deep breath, she pushed away from the wall and started across the street. She tucked her hands in her sleeves and kept her head low, as she had so often seen Mai do.

The stall that she wanted was there, and there were people milling about it, as there nearly always were. She'd known there would be, too; she'd always tried to come here whenever she got the chance to vacation on Ember Island, which admittedly hadn't been all that often. Ty Lee's heart was pounding in her ears. _Quick and smooth, _she told herself. _Just walk right by, and they probably won't even look at you twice. _She spotted the item that she wanted. She turned her steps so that they took her right past that spot on the stall. As she passed by, she darted a hand out, snatched at the merchandise, and quickly shoved it back under her cloak. It took all her self-control not to break into a run then and there. She held her breath until she got around the corner.

Then she did run, darting into another back alley. She sprinted through it, found a porch halfway up a nearby building, and sprang. With two more acrobatic leaps, Ty Lee made the rooftops. Her flight continued over them, her nimble feet running and jumping from roof to roof. Not until she was well away from the tourist area and back into the relative peace of the privately-owned woods did she stop to rest. Panting, Ty Lee crouched down in some bushes to catch her breath. She listened closely for any sounds of pursuit; all was silent.

It only took about two minutes for her to get her second wind. Ty Lee began to slink through the woods, heading up the back way to Zuko's beach house. It was dark by the time she darted up the front steps and slipped through the door.

Azula appeared less than ten seconds after Ty Lee came in. "And just where were you?" she demanded, her voice hard and angry. "You've been gone almost two hours. I was starting to think you'd been captured!"

Beneath the anger, Ty Lee saw a glint of fear. She hung her head. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she said meekly. "It took longer than I thought it would. If I'd known, I would have -"

"But where _were_ you?" Azula insisted. "And with one of Zuko's cloaks, too. What have you been up to?"

The acrobat fidgeted. This had really seemed like a good idea when she'd gotten up that morning, but maybe it hadn't been. She bit her lip. "I went to get something," she murmured.

"Like what?" Some of the former princess's anger gave way to a bit of genuine curiosity. "What in the world would you need to get? We have enough food."

"Well, yeah." Ty Lee fidgeted some more. "I just...remembered something you said to me while you were still in prison, you know. And I thought that maybe it was still true, so I went and...well, I went and..." Words failed her. The little acrobat slowly pulled aside her cloak and held up the small prize she had snatched less than an hour before.

Azula's eyes widened. She looked stunned. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly once or twice. Then, slowly, she looked up at Ty Lee, who was watching her hopefully. "Ty Lee...you didn't have to..."

"It's a moon cake," Ty Lee said nervously. " - I mean, of _course_ it's a moon cake. You already know that! But I remembered your having wanted one for your birthday, you know. You said that you did, just before the whole mess went down. And, well, it's your sixteenth today, and I figured I could at least do this for you, even if we don't really have that much to celebrate with. I thought that tea and moon cake was better than _nothing." _She paused. "Course, if we were really going to do this properly, there'd be fireworks, and a big fancy ball, and all that. You know, what with your being a princess on her sixteenth birthday, and all. But -"

"Ty." Azula had turned away abruptly as the acrobat was speaking, and now stood almost with her back to Ty Lee. She turned her head slightly in Ty Lee's direction as she spoke. "You shouldn't have taken a risk like that. Not for...not for something so trivial as...this."

As cold as Azula was trying to sound, Ty Lee could hear the quiver in her voice. A slow smile spread over her face. "It's not trivial, 'Zula," she said softly. "Why shouldn't I be able to give you something? What kind of a friend would I be if I forgot your birthday?" Azula was silent. Ty Lee suspected she was fighting back tears. _I better give her some time. _ "Well, I'm gonna go make some supper. If you wanna come, there'll be tea and cake in the kitchen later, too." She paused. "And I'm sorry I made you worry."

Ty Lee had already set out the meal and was in the process of cutting the little cake into wedges when Azula came in. The former princess looked composed again. She sat cross-legged at the table and reached for a teacup. "Are you hungry, 'Zula?" Ty Lee opened a steaming container of rice with a cheerful smile. "I hope so. I made extra in honor of the occasion."

"Yes." Azula met her eyes briefly, her lips curving into a small smile. "I am."

"Great!" The acrobat filled the girl's plate. "Eat up. There's lots more. Maybe we can start putting some meat back on your bones."

"Heh. Maybe." Azula glanced down at her own ribs, then began to eat. Ty Lee helped herself. She hadn't had a lot to work with, but Silas had given them rice, hot peppers and dried meat. With this and an old ginger root she had found hidden away in a cupboard, Ty Lee had managed to make a tolerably good stir fry. It was arguably the best meal they'd had together since Azula had broken out of jail. "Hope you saved room for dessert," Ty Lee remarked when they had finished. The former princess merely smiled; the acrobat laid the cake on the table. "Go ahead. It's yours, after all," she said softly. "Happy birthday, Azula."

There was a pause. Slowly, Azula took one of the pieces and held it in her fingers, looking at it. Then, without a word, she lifted it to her lips. Ty Lee watched as she quietly ate it, licking the thick lotus paste filling off her fingers once it was gone. She glanced up at Ty Lee almost shyly. "It's good," she said, her voice soft. "Try it."

"Oh, you're sharing, are you? All right." The little acrobat grinned and took a piece for herself. It was chewy and sweet. She'd forgotten just how rich moon cakes were. Even though the pastry was only about five or six inches across, the two of them could only finish about half of it.

Azula's spirits seemed to have lifted by the time she got up from the table. She crossed to where Ty Lee sat and looked down at her for a moment; Ty Lee blinked. Then the princess crouched down. "Thanks," she said quietly. "..You know. - For the cake." Then, without waiting for an answer, she grasped Ty Lee by the shoulders and touched her lips to hers. It was gentle, almost feather-light. Ty Lee couldn't help smiling into it. She wrapped her arms around Azula's shoulders and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. The former princess allowed it for a few moments, to Ty Lee's delight. Then, firmly, Azula used her grip on the acrobat's arms to pull away. "I'm going to bed," she said calmly, brushing her fingertips lightly over Ty Lee's now-pouting mouth. "Good night."

"Night, 'Zula," Ty Lee managed to swallow her disappointment enough to smile a bit. She sadly cleared away their meal.

When she climbed into bed, Azula already appeared to be asleep. Ty Lee lay down with a deep sigh. A moment later, a slender hand snaked around her middle, and she was pulled back against Azula's warm body. "Sleep tight," the former princess said quietly, resting her head so that the acrobat could feel her breath against the back of her neck. Ty Lee felt a little bit better. She snuggled down under the covers to sleep.

A soft sound woke her some time later. Ty Lee groggily raised her head, glancing out the window; it was pitch dark, probably still around two or three in the morning. Azula wasn't lying next to her. The acrobat sat up quickly, her sleepiness falling away. She heard the sound again. It was something like a sharp little intake of breath, and it was coming from the part of the room by where she had put Mai's vanity. Squinting in the darkness, Ty Lee could make out a shivering bundle tucked in between the vanity table and the corner of the wall. "'Zula?" she whispered, slipping out of bed and approaching cautiously. "Are...are you okay? What's wrong?"

"She's gone." The soft little voice that answered didn't sound like Azula's at all. It sounded far younger than her sixteen years. The words were followed by muffled sobs. "She's g-gone. She never said goodbye. Why didn't she say goodbye?"

Slowly, Ty Lee knelt down by the vanity. She couldn't make out Azula's face in the shadow of the table. "Who? Who's gone, 'Zula?" she asked gently.

"Momma." The tiny sobs intensified. "It's m-my fault. If I hadn't told Zuko what Grandfather said, she never would've left. It's my fault..."

This was most definitely not the princess Ty Lee knew. It was rather frightening to hear this strange, childlike voice coming out of Azula's mouth, here in the dead of night. The acrobat hesitated, wondering what to do. She'd never really known what the exact circumstances around Lady Ursa's disappearance had been, but she'd heard it had something to do with Fire Lord Azulon's assassination. _I wonder why Azula would have blamed herself for that? She was, what – nine years old then? _Ty Lee bit her lip. _She must be reliving something. What do I do? This isn't like any of her fits before...well, I'll just have to try. _"Azula, it's okay," she said softly, extending her hand. Azula cringed back, and Ty Lee stopped. "It's okay," she coaxed. "Come on out."

"No. I can't. I have to hide," the little voice whimpered. "Father can't see me cry. He'll be angry."

"He won't see you," the acrobat soothed. "It's all right." She lowered her hand and found one of Azula's, clasping it. "Come out, 'Zula. You're safe. Come on." With a combination of coaxing and gentle tugs, she finally drew the girl from her hiding place and into a warm hug. Azula shivered and wept bitterly in her arms for some time.

Abruptly, the childlike sobbing ceased. Azula lay still in Ty Lee's embrace for a few seconds, breathing deeply. "Ty...Lee?"

"Hey." Ty Lee smiled soothingly into the golden eyes that were now blinking up at her. "You feeling a little better now?"

"No! I mean, I..." The former princess sat up, pushing away, and looked around her in obvious confusion. Her gaze came back to rest on Ty Lee again. "It happened again, didn't it?" Her voice was low. "I blanked out. I...I had one of those...fits." The acrobat nodded hesitantly. Azula's face twisted. "Did I...hurt you?"

With a shaky laugh, Ty Lee shook her head. "No. You didn't even try to, 'Zula. It's okay."

Azula flinched and turned away. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I take it I woke you."

"It's not a big deal." The acrobat hugged her knees.

"Not that I even could hurt you," Azula muttered bitterly, as if talking to herself. "I'm bloody useless now." Ty Lee watched her in silence. She hadn't heard Azula talk of the loss of her bending skills, other than a few passing comments. _It has to really bother her, _she thought. _If I lost my acrobatics, I don't know what I'd do. _She considered replying, then decided against it; Azula looked fragile enough already. The former princess glanced at her briefly. She seemed very uncomfortable. "I'm...tired. I think I'm going to go back to bed."

"Okay." Ty Lee watched quietly as Azula shakily got up. "Do you want me to fix you something to drink before you sleep, 'Zula?"

"No. I'm fine." The words were sharp enough that Ty Lee winced. A moment later, Azula sighed. "I'm fine," she repeated, in a gentler tone. "I...just need my sleep." And she went back to bed. Ty Lee stayed where she was, her eyes resting on her companion. After a long while, the acrobat finally rose from the floor and padded over to the bed. Carefully she lay down, drawing the comforter up to cover Azula's bare shoulders as she did so. Then she closed her eyes again, hoping that this time she would be allowed to rest until morning.


	24. Chapter 24

Azula was up before Ty Lee was again the next morning. The acrobat found her sitting in her spot on the living room floor, cross-legged, her hands resting loosely on her knees. She turned her head as Ty Lee appeared in the doorway. "I've found some things to use in my disguise," she said, indicating a small assortment of items with an almost disinterested sweep of her hand. "We should be able to make me look like an old woman with them – or close enough, anyway, if I keep my hood up. Put them in my bundle for me."

This was a bit abrupt, even for Azula. The acrobat frowned and hesitated, then slowly gathered up the cosmetics and went to do as she was told. When she returned, Azula was still sitting in her meditation posture, her eyes half-closed and unfocused. Ty Lee chewed her lip. "I...'Zula, you're feeling better this morning, right?:"

"Better than what?" The former princess didn't shift her position, but her tone plainly gave away her annoyance.

"Than last night." Azula said nothing. Ty Lee thought she saw her stiffen a bit. "I just wondered," Ty Lee said softly. "You seemed really upset -"

"I'm fine. Leave it alone." Azula shot her a look. "I'd rather not discuss the fact that I was evidently sobbing in your arms like some brat who'd just been spanked." Ty Lee's face crumpled, and Azula gave a sigh of exasperation. "_Please, _Ty Lee, I just don't want to talk about it. For Agni's sake, let it go."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you angry." The little acrobat turned away, wiping her eyes. "I guess I'll go make us something to eat."

Ty Lee had been friends with Azula since her earliest childhood. She didn't even really remember a time without the princess in her life. Throughout their friendship, Azula had always been imperious and curt, even rude at times – Ty Lee was mostly used to it. But, as longsuffering as she was, the acrobat was starting to feel the sting of Azula's sharp tongue. _I understand. I do, _Ty Lee told herself, putting a kettle over the small cooking fire she had just built. _She's in pain, she's scared, and she's lost everything. And she's never been exactly snuggly, anyway. But, _and here Ty Lee sighed, _I wish she'd at least not snarl at me so much. _She added a ration of their oats to the water as it started to boil, and stirred. The delicious smell of cooking porridge wafted through the kitchen. It made her feel a little better.

She felt rather than heard Azula slip into the room a few minutes later. The former princess quietly sat down in her spot by the table and watched Ty Lee for a moment or two. "It...wasn't necessary to snap at you like that," Azula said at length. "It was natural for you to be concerned." Ty Lee turned her head; the girl wasn't looking at her, and there was some faint redness across her normally ivory-white cheekbones. Before Ty Lee could respond, Azula cleared her throat. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Yeah." A slow smile spread over Ty Lee's face. She pulled the porridge off the fire, ladled some into a bowl, and set it in front of the former princess. As she did so, she quickly bent and laid a tiny kiss on Azula's cheek. "I forgive you," she whispered. Then she turned away to fill a second bowl for herself. By the time she turned back, Azula was eating pointedly, her eyes fixed on the table. Ty Lee smiled to herself as she sat down to eat.

"Ty Lee," Azula said, once she had finished her porridge, "I have something for you to do." The acrobat looked up quizzically. "I just don't like that our only way off this island is that ferry. So today, I want you to see if you can do something about it. Scout around the beaches to see if you can find any other boats. We'll want one big enough that we can actually travel in it; I want a real boat, and not a canoe. Understand?"

Ty Lee nodded. "Sure, 'Zula. But you...you want me to do that now? - In broad daylight, I mean? That might be kind of dangerous."

"Yes. But so is sitting here with only one, easily-blockable escape route." The former princess frowned at her and shrugged. "I'd do it myself, only I'm still not sure how far I can walk." She paused, looking down. "You can go. I'll...clean up here."

The acrobat knew what that offer had cost Azula. Her large gray eyes softened. "Okay, 'Zula. I'll go now. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." The other girl jerked her head in a nod. Ty Lee quietly got up from the table and went at once to carry out her errand.

When she was well away from the beach house, Ty Lee paused to think, her eyes automatically scanning the woods around her for signs of movement. The private beaches immediately adjacent to their hideaway rarely had any boats, and neither did the more public, tourist-friendly beaches farther south. The northern and western coasts of the island were the most likely places to find the sort of vessels they were looking for, since that was where the island natives plied their fishing trade. _I think I saw a few boats nearby the last time I went to see Silas, _the little acrobat mused. _Maybe I'll go look there first. I'll have to watch I'm not seen, though. _Her decision made, Ty Lee darted through the woods, heading for the Ember Island ferry landing.

She was close, now. Cautiously, Ty Lee began to duck down behind trees and bushes. There were often people around this area, so she was going to have to approach carefully. She slipped through a few more trees, parted the bushes, and peeped out.

There were boats. Oh, there were boats. - Ships, actually; two huge battleships, the like of which Ty Lee hadn't seen since the end of the war more than a year ago. - _And _a war balloon! Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. _What...what's going on? Why would there be warships here? _Her gaze moved downward, and her heart nearly stopped. There were soldiers, and many of them. To her frightened eyes, there seemed to be hundreds. And not just soldiers – imperial guards. As she watched in horror, the ranks of the firebenders suddenly broke and began to fan out. A large contingent of them was jogging in her direction.

Terror stung the little acrobat into action. She sprang to her feet and fairly flew back the way she had come. Her mind was racing. _They must be coming for us! Why else would royal guards be here? They probably found my glider. _Branches whipped against her as she ran, but she barely felt them. _For sure they're heading straight for Zuko's place._ _What are we going to do? This is just what Azula was afraid would happen. What if...what if I'm too late? _This thought brought on a fresh burst of speed. Sobbing for breath, Ty Lee sprang up the stairs, two at a time, and burst in the door.

Azula looked up as the little acrobat appeared. Her skin turned three shades paler when she saw the look on Ty Lee's face. "They're-here!" Ty Lee panted, barely able to speak. "Right-behind-me...soldiers...'Zula!"

Without a word, the former princess darted to the door. She only looked for a split second before spinning around and making for the back. "Come on!" she said sharply. Ty Lee followed. They reached it; before they could escape through it, Azula suddenly grabbed Ty Lee by the arm. "Stop. Look!" The acrobat did. To her dismay, she could see more imperial guards heading up the back way, too.

They were trapped.

"Up the stairs. Quick!" Azula spun and darted up the steps that led to the second floor. The little acrobat was right on her heels. Azula made for the upstairs den. Quickly pushing a desk to one side, she clawed at one of the wooden panels on the wall. To Ty Lee's astonishment, it opened, revealing a small cavity hidden in behind it. "Get in!" Without ceremony, Ty Lee obeyed. Azula scrambled in after her, and pulled the panel shut. It was a tight fit, but they made it. The inside of the place was as dark as pitch; the only light was a few faint gleams through the cracks in the wooden wall paneling. Ty Lee could hear Azula's heavy breathing. "I found this when I was little," she heard the former princess whisper. "I'd go here whenever I wanted to hide from Zuko...maybe he hasn't found out about it yet." Silence fell.

Then there came a mighty crash from downstairs, followed immediately by another. Ty Lee felt Azula jump; the girl's body began to tremble. The little acrobat pulled her companion into her arms and held her tightly, shutting her eyes. The heavy tread of booted feet began to thunder throughout the house. There were shouts and crashes, growing louder and closer by the moment. Azula was trembling from head to toe now; she turned her head to bury her face in Ty Lee's shoulder. Ty Lee felt her weave her bony fingers around handfuls of her shirt. Her breath was coming in small, shuddering gasps. "Quiet, 'Zula," Ty Lee whispered.

"I can't go back. I can't, I can't!" Azula shook like a leaf.

"Quiet, now. It'll be okay." Ty Lee put her lips to the girl's ear and whispered into the shell of it, her whisper barely audible. "They won't find us. Quiet. I won't let anyone hurt you." She was careful to lisp, so that her voice wouldn't hiss.

There came an especially loud crash, and the harsh voices of the soldiers filled the study. Ty Lee could hear them clearly. "Any closets in here?...not that I can see...move all those bookshelves, they might have hidden one...you, check behind those drapes!" The two girls huddled together in terrified silence, listening to the sound of rending wood and scattering books. Ty Lee could feel a damp patch on her shirt, and knew Azula was silently sobbing. She gently wove her fingers through the girl's hair, whispering comforting words into her ear. It seemed like forever – although it was probably only a few minutes – that they sat there, shivering and listening to the guards search the room. Then the noises grew quieter again as their pursuers moved on.

They stayed very still. After a while, the chaos seemed to calm down. There were still footsteps and voices, but they were quieter, and there didn't seem to be as many people. After a time, Ty Lee didn't think there was anybody left upstairs at all. Azula's trembling had lessened a bit; the acrobat hugged her close and softly kissed her cheek. "You're doing great, 'Zula. Stay calm. We'll be all right. They're not going to find us." The girl didn't respond.

Then there were footfalls on the steps. Someone was coming up the stairs. The footsteps approached the room where the two fugitives huddled. Ty Lee shut her eyes tightly and listened as the door opened. "Oh, gods, will you look at this?" The voice was a woman's. "Those goons of yours have trashed the place. Couldn't they look without throwing every book we own on the floor?" The acrobat's heart leaped into her throat. _I know that voice. _She wriggled a little so that she could lay her face against one of the cracks in the wood, and peered through it.

_Mai._

A moment later, a man moved into Ty Lee's field of vision. "We'll have servants clean it up, Mai. It's no big deal. Besides, they _were_ here. There's signs of them everywhere! They've got to be somewhere on this island." _Zuko. _Ty Lee's eyes widened.

Mai looked at him darkly. "You did have that ferryman detained, didn't you? Ty Lee and Azula would have had to come over on that boat of his. He has to know something."

"He's been detained." Zuko's cool reply made a lump rise up in Ty Lee's throat. _Poor Silas! _"If he knows anything, he'll tell us. And I've got four of my best men watching the ferry landing, in case my sister tries to make a run for it. She's not going anywhere. Sooner or later, we'll find her." His voice was grim.

The Fire Lady nodded, turning her back to him and absently arranging some papers on a desk. Her face was hidden from him, but Ty Lee could see her lips tightening. "You did tell them to try to take Ty Lee alive, right?"

"I told them," Zuko said quietly. "But if she's with Azula, they're probably going to go down fighting, and they have orders to kill if necessary. I wouldn't get my hopes up too high."

Mai's eyes narrowed, and she turned back to him. "Look, I know things look bad with her. And they probably _are_. And it's probably just sentimental stupidity on my part, but I can't help it. I want a chance to talk to her before...well, before we do anything with her. I know Ty Lee, and I just can't see her as a traitor."

"She is a traitor, Mai. She helped my sister escape, and she probably helped her to hire that assassin, too." Zuko sighed. "We'll try to take her alive. I promise." He turned away. "I'm going to see if my men have had any luck questioning that waterbender. I want you to stay here."

"What?" Mai stiffened visibly. "I can handle myself, Zuko. I'm not going to sit here straightening up a beach house while you're out there looking for them!"

"Ty Lee already got to you once," he pointed out. "She might do it again. I don't want to see you get hurt, Mai. Once I have proper security perimeters up on this island, we'll talk about it again." Mai opened her mouth to protest again, her face flushed with anger. "I'm not asking, Mai. I'm telling you as your lord to stay put."

Her narrow eyes flashed dangerously, but the assassin bowed her head and turned aside. "Fine," she said coldly. That was all. Without another word, Zuko swept from the room. Lips still pressed together furiously, Mai began to gather up the scattered books and shove them back into their shelves. Her movements were sharp and angry. Ty Lee suspected she was only doing it to blow off steam.

Azula's hand caught at Ty Lee's shoulder and pulled her ear down next to her lips. The former princess's trembling had faded; she seemed once more the master of herself. "Ty Lee," she whispered, her words covered by the thumping and banging of books, "you have to go get her."

Ty Lee blinked. "Who? - Mai?"

"Yes." The grip on Ty Lee's shoulder tightened a fraction. "If we're going to get out of this alive, we might need some leverage. Mai's my brother's weakest point." Azula fell silent abruptly as the noise in the room stopped. There was a short silence – then footsteps retreated, and the door to the study closed. "Go get her, Ty Lee. Hurry."

"B-but...'Zula..." Tears brimmed in the little acrobat's eyes. "If I hit her again, she'll never believe I was sorry the first time!"

"Do you want us to get off this island alive?" Azula hissed. Ty Lee felt the girl's fingernails digging into her skin. Tremulously, she nodded. "Then do as I say. Go get her. Now." Trembling, her heart in her throat, Ty Lee very slowly began to push back the panel that hid them. Light flooded their little hiding place. Peeping out timidly, Ty Lee saw that they were alone in the room. She crept out of the alcove and carefully closed it again, hiding Azula from prying eyes. Then, very slowly, she tiptoed across the floor and eased the door open.

She poked her head cautiously into the hall; it was empty. Ty Lee listened. Someone was moving around in the next room – Mai's room. _That's probably her. _Very, very carefully, the little acrobat began to inch toward the door. She knew that Mai's reflexes were very good, and she could strike from a distance – unlike Ty Lee, who had to actually _touch_ her opponent to be effective. Unless she had the element of surprise on her side, she rather doubted that she could take Mai down. The door to the room was open; Ty Lee peered into it.

Luck was on her side; Mai's back was to the door. She was rummaging through her wardrobe – probably trying to figure out what was missing, Ty Lee thought with a pang of conscience. The acrobat shrugged off the thought. _If I'm going to do this, I better do it now. _Crouching silently, Ty Lee timed her movements carefully, and then sprang.

Mai seemed to sense the attack coming; she began to turn, her arm sweeping down in a fluid motion to release several knives into her hand. She never got a chance to use them. A split second later, Ty Lee's fingers fell on her shoulder, pinching precisely. The assassin grunted as her legs buckled. The sharp little blades clattered from her fingers, and she fell. Ty Lee caught her expertly before she hit the ground. "Oopsy-daisy," she murmured cheerfully. "Careful, Mai! Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Mai had time to gasp in bewildered shock before the acrobat gave her neck another expert pinch, paralyzing her completely. "Sorry, sorry. I know, we've been through this song and dance before, haven't we? But it can't be helped." Ty Lee pulled the young woman's limp body up into her arms. "C'mon, Mai. Azula wanted to see you."

The former princess was very pleased at Ty Lee's success. She glanced around. "Go downstairs and find our bundles, quickly," she ordered. "I'll take care of Mai." Ty Lee was off down the stairs like a shot. By the time she returned, Azula was busily tying one more knot in the cords she had just used to securely bind Mai's arms. An assortment of knives was scattered over the floor. "Take her," Azula instructed, holding out her hands for the bundles Ty Lee was carrying. "Let's get down to the woods, anyway. - Did you have any luck finding us a boat, Ty?"

"N-no," Ty Lee faltered, giving up the things and beginning to gather Mai up in her arms again. "I never had time. All I saw was the warships down by the ferry landing, and then the soldiers coming and I ran." Azula frowned. "But," Ty Lee said hopefully, "Silas did say that Misty might pull the ferry for me, if I asked her to."

There was a sudden gleam in Azula's eye. "Really?" she said slowly. "Do you think that she would?"

"I don't see why not," Ty Lee shrugged. "I think she likes me. And Silas said that she did."

Azula's golden eyes narrowed, and a wicked smirk spread slowly over her rose-petal lips. "I have an idea, Ty Lee," she said. "Listen carefully..."


	25. Chapter 25

Zuko was irritated. The questioning of the ferryman had gone badly. The man had freely admitted to knowing who Azula and Ty Lee were, but he quite obviously knew nothing about them other than that they had been staying at the royal beach house. At last, frustrated, Zuko had ordered the waterbender remanded into custody. _I'll deal with him later, _he told himself. Then he had headed back toward the place where he had left Mai.

A man's voice stopped him before he had even gone twenty paces. "My lord!" Zuko turned at the shout. One of his men was running after him, plainly out of breath. "Bad news, my lord. It's...it's the ferry, my lord. It's vanished!"

"_What?" _The Fire Lord's eyes blazed up.

The soldier flinched. "We found the men you ordered to guard it on the ground. They were all paralyzed, somehow." Zuko bared his teeth. "But they can't have gone far yet, my lord," the soldier rushed on. "One of the men could still speak. He said the fugitives took the boat perhaps twenty minutes ago. Our warships could catch them easily..."

The words weren't even out of the man's mouth when Zuko spun on his heel, barking out orders. "All of you, back on the ships. Go! Go! We'll capture them before they make the mainland. Move it!" Within ten minutes, both warships were pulling away from the island and picking up steam, taking the shortest route back to the mainland. Zuko stood on the deck, his flashing amber eyes searching the open sea.

In about forty-five minutes, the little craft was in sight. He considered ordering his men to open fire the moment they were in range, but then thought better of it; he had, after all, promised Mai that he would at least try to take Ty Lee alive. He gestured instead to the captain of his troops. "Capture it," he barked. "Get ready to board the vessel the minute it can be done. Your previous orders stand – if it can be done, take the acrobat alive. With my sister, shoot to kill." The man saluted and quickly moved out to pass the word to his soldiers.

The ferry was no match for two of the Fire Nation's finest battleships. Within another fifteen minutes, the boat was in range. Soldiers threw grappling hooks at it, pulling the vessel to a stop. Zuko could make out the tiny craft bobbing on the waves far below, dwarfed by the bulk of the huge warships that now flanked it. With battle cries, guards swarmed down the lines to board the captive ferry. Zuko turned away, his golden eyes narrowing as he glanced at the horizon. The mainland was visible from where he stood. He felt a pang of something almost like sympathy for his younger sibling. _She almost made it. So close. Another half-hour, and she would have lived another day. _His jaw tightened. _But I won't fall into the trap of pitying her again. She can't be trusted – ever._

His thoughts were broken as the captain of his troops slowly approached. The man seemed uneasy. He bowed from the waist. "My lord."

"Report, captain." Zuko turned to him, his posture flawless. "Are the fugitives dead?"

"No, my lord." The captain hesitated. "The...the vessel was empty, my lord."

"_What?" _Stunned, the Fire Lord stared at him for a moment or two. A deep abyss seemed to suddenly yawn before him. "Are...are you sure?"

"Very sure, my lord. There wasn't a soul on board. And..." The soldier paused. Then, slowly, he laid two cold, smooth objects in the Fire Lord's hands. "And we found these...sir." Zuko looked down.

There on his palms glinted a five-pointed, flame-shaped hairpin, and a golden signet ring.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ty Lee peered out one of the huge windows in the helm of the war balloon, curiously scanning the grayish-blue ocean that lay far below. "D'you think Zuko's figured out that we're not on that ferry yet, 'Zula?" she wondered. "I just wish I could've seen his face! I betcha he was pretty surprised. And probably mad, too, 'cuz of Mai's crown."

"Heh." Azula, who was sitting regally in the captain's seat with her legs neatly crossed, favored her with a sly smile. "If my brother didn't want to kill me before, he certainly will now." She inspected her fingernails, then went back to her casual piloting of the airship. "That's one thing Father never could seem to instill in Zuzu – the concept of having a backup plan."

"I just wish we hadn't had to chain up that poor boy down in the boiler room," Ty Lee sighed. "I kind of feel bad for him..."

"Well, we have to have a firebender to run this thing," Azula said. "If you had any better ideas, you should have mentioned them then."

"And I feel bad for Silas." Ty Lee looked back toward the island, her lip quivering a bit. "I hope they didn't hurt him, 'Zula. He was really nice to us, and he never had to be. He could've just let us drown, or turned us in later, but he didn't."

"Regrettable," Azula said quietly. "But there's nothing we can do about that." She scowled down at the navigational map at her elbow, and then squinted at a panel of dials to her left. "I want you to go get Mai and bring her here. I don't like her being out of our sight, even if she is locked in the brig. Paralyze her again first. Maybe bring some chains, if we have any loose ones. Don't underestimate her."

"Okay, 'Zula." Ty Lee rubbed the back of her neck. "We're...we're not going to hurt her. Are we?"

The former princess glanced at her, shrugged, and turned back to her work. "No. Not if we don't have to, Ty Lee." She studied the map again. "Just go bring her," she said absently. "She's smart. I don't want her having alone time to think things through." Ty Lee went to do as she was ordered.

If truth be told, Ty Lee was a bit nervous about seeing Mai again. When she had locked the young woman up in the brig a couple of hours before, Mai had still been completely limp, unable to do so much as blink or twitch her fingers. The acrobat was well aware of how angry her friend was likely to be right now. She bit her lip, suddenly very glad that she and Azula had searched their hostage so thoroughly for weapons. Taking a deep breath, Ty Lee slipped into the small room that held the war balloon's lone prison.

The captive was sitting up with her back to the wall, facing the door. Her narrow eyes flicked up as Ty Lee entered – they were blazing. Nervously, the acrobat paused, wondering how on earth she was going to manage this. Even if Mai's hands were tied behind her back, she was likely to fight this pretty hard, and Ty Lee didn't really want to hurt her. "Hey," she murmured. "So, um...how are you? It's been a while."

"Oh, I'm great. Swell. Really." Mai's lip curled. "What do you want?"

"Uh...well, I..." Ty Lee put her head on one side, puzzling. _I wonder if there's really any gentle way to tell someone you're going to have to knock them out again? _"I don't really want anything, I guess..."

"I hope you're really proud of this, Ty Lee." If Mai had been a firebender, Ty Lee had no doubt that her glower would have burned holes through her by now. "I can't believe that you would do this to me. And for _her!" _If Mai had been any less of a lady, she would have spat. "And to think that I asked Zuko to spare your life."

Ty Lee nodded earnestly. "I know you did. And thank you, Mai. That was really nice of you." She knelt down outside the prison, resting her hands against the steel bars. It reminded her a lot of when she had gone to visit Azula, actually. "We're not going to hurt you, Mai," she said softly. "I promise you we're not, okay? We just took you in case Zuko caught up with us before we could get away. That's all we wanted you for."

"Well gosh, thank you. I can't believe how much better that makes me feel." Mai's golden eyes were narrowed to mere slits. "Look, if you don't mind, I'd really rather wallow in my own misery and captivity by myself. Go away."

The acrobat shuffled a bit. "I would, but...I'm supposed to bring you to the bridge," she admitted. "'Zula wants to keep an eye on you. So..." She stopped, meeting Mai's fiery gaze pleadingly. "I don't want to hurt you, Mai," she said. "I'm supposed to give you another pinch. Please, don't fight me. I swear it won't hurt, I'll be gentle."

Mai gave an incredulous huff of laughter. "So what, you expect me to go quietly? Just sit here while you knock me out and drag me to that murdering monster?"

"She's not a monster," Ty Lee said stoutly. "And I won't let anybody lay a hand on you. I promise! It's just that Azula told me to do this, all right? And if you fight me, you might get hurt by accident." She bit her lip. "Please, Mai. Promise that you won't resist."

"Fine." The Fire Lady looked away. "It's not as if I can get away from you, anyway."

This was as close as she was going to get. Ty Lee took the key from its place in her pocket and unlocked the door. Still angry, Mai glared up at her, but didn't try to fight. The little acrobat stooped down and, laying her hand against the side of the young woman's neck, gave a sharp, precise squeeze. Mai's muscles turned to water. Ty Lee eased her gently down. "There," she murmured. "See? It's not so bad." She looked around for the chains Azula had asked for, found two, and slung them over her shoulder. Then she slipped her powerful arms under the captive's limp body. "All right. Come on, Mai. Let's go see what's happening on the bridge."

Azula nodded her approval when Ty Lee reappeared. "Put her over there," she said, pointing at a seat well away from any of the balloon's controls. "Chain her to it, and make sure you chain her properly. I don't want her pulling free." The little acrobat nodded quietly and put Mai in the chair she'd indicated, propping her up carefully. She briefly considered untying the young woman's hands, then thought better of it; that seemed like the kind of thing that might upset Azula. Instead, she took one of the chains she'd brought and fastened one cuff to Mai's left wrist, a little above where Azula had knotted the cords. Ty Lee's face fell as she remembered how she'd had to tighten every one of the knots that the girl's arthritic fingers had tied afterward. She hadn't told Azula – she suspected the girl knew anyway. Silently, Ty Lee wound the length of chain a couple of times around the legs of the chair, then pulled Mai's arms down until she could fasten the second cuff to her other wrist. Shackling Mai's legs was easier; the little acrobat made quick work of the task. She checked the bonds carefully when she had finished. Mai's wrists were red and chafed under the rope. Ty Lee frowned, then glanced at Azula. The former princess wasn't even looking at her. Ty Lee bit her lip, sighed, and left Mai where she was.

Azula murmured and rolled her head back when she felt Ty Lee's hands begin to massage the tension from her neck and shoulders. The acrobat smiled a bit. "That was a really good plan," she said. "I never would've thought of using the ferry as a distraction."

"Classic military strategy," Azula murmured, shifting so that Ty Lee's fingers could reach farther up her neck. "Surprised Zuzu fell for it, really. After all the training and fighting that boy's done, he's still far too trusting. Incredible that he's still alive." Then, sitting up properly again, Azula looked up at her. "I want you to go find a bunk and get some sleep, Ty Lee. We'll need to pilot this thing in shifts; it's going to take us nearly three days to get to the Earth Kingdom."

"All right, 'Zula," Ty Lee agreed. "Guess I'll see you in a few hours, then." Azula gave her a sideways look, then nodded, with the ghost of a smile. With one last, lingering glance at Mai's slumped form, Ty Lee sighed and went off to find herself a place to rest.


	26. Chapter 26

When Ty Lee woke, she felt good. She was excited and hopeful as soon as she opened her eyes. _We're on our way to the Earth Kingdom, _she thought, sitting up on her bunk and rubbing her eyes. _I bet we'll be a lot safer there! _And she could remember, too, all the good times she and Mai and Azula had had together when they were tracking the Avatar.

Of course, this trip would be a bit different. Ty Lee was optimistic, but she wasn't _stupid. _Mai wasn't likely to be in a very fun-loving mood at the moment. (Actually, Mai very rarely was in anything even approaching a fun-loving mood. But right now, she'd be even less likely to be.) And the last time they'd been in the Earth Kingdom together, it had been as the feted heroes who had singlehandedly taken the city of Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation. It wasn't likely that anyone would "fete" them this time! But even so, Ty Lee was pretty sure that this was going to be an adventure. Humming cheerfully to herself, she straightened her hair, and then headed down to the bridge.

She heard the murmur of voices just before she went in. The talking stopped when she entered. Ty Lee glanced at Mai; the young woman's face was flushed, and she was glowering pointedly away from Azula. The former princess didn't seem especially happy, either. The little acrobat paused uncertainly. "Um...morning, 'Zula," she said cautiously. "Are you tired yet?"

"Yes." Azula drew her forearm across her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to need you to fly this thing for a few hours. Have you ever flown a balloon before?"

"Nope. You'll have to teach me." Ty Lee bounded cheerfully to where Azula was sitting, shooting a smile in Mai's direction. "Morning, Mai!"

The assassin glanced at her, then looked at Azula, a cold smile twitching her lips. "Hey, before this little lesson gets underway, tell her, Azula. Why don't you fill her in on what we were just talking about?"

"Shut up!" Ty Lee's eyes widened at the venom in the former princess's voice. Azula turned to glare viciously in Mai's direction. "You be quiet. Do you hear me?"

"Why, Azula, what are you so upset about?" Mai's eyes gleamed and narrowed. "Surely you're not keeping secrets. What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid!" Azula snarled. She rose to her feet, crossed the distance between them in three strides, and caught Mai roughly by the throat. Ty Lee gasped. "But I swear to you, if you don't keep your mouth shut, I'm going to show you the real meaning of fear. Do you understand?" And she shook her captive once or twice. Ty Lee saw Azula's face suddenly twist in pain. With a hiss, she let Mai go and turned away, her teeth gritted, gripping her wrist.

The Fire Lady smirked. "What's the matter, Azula?" she asked coldly. "Not so tough anymore without your firebending, and lackeys to do the grunt work?"

"_Shut up!" _

There was death in Azula's face, now. Ty Lee sprang forward in alarm and caught at her friend's arm as she turned on Mai. "Azula, stop it," she pleaded. "Just stop it!" Those flaming amber eyes turned on her in fury. The acrobat cringed, but didn't release her grip. "Please, 'Zula. You promised me you wouldn't hurt her. You promised." Her lip quivered.

Slowly, the murder faded from Azula's glare. Without a word, she jerked her arm from Ty Lee's grasp and turned to her prisoner. Mai's lip curled defiantly as Azula glowered down at her. "Ty Lee," Azula said coldly, "I want you to tear a strip off her sleeve and gag her with it." The little acrobat hesitated. "_Ty Lee."_

"Okay, 'Zula." Ty Lee sighed and bent over their hostage. _I guess it's better than letting her get killed. _She tugged at the seam of Mai's left sleeve. The garment was expensive and well-made; it took some force to pull apart the threads. The material itself was also difficult to tear, but Ty Lee finally managed it. She straightened and looked up at Mai's face; the young woman was watching her in silence, her expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, Mai," Ty Lee said softly, holding up the fabric. The assassin gave a heavy sigh, then allowed the little acrobat to bind the gag in place between her teeth.

Azula had resumed her seat, and was once again spreading out the navigational map. "Come here, Ty Lee. I'll show you how to do this." She didn't seem concerned with the outcome of her previous order. Ty Lee patted Mai's arm with an apologetic look, then moved to Azula's side. The girl spent a few minutes coaching her in how to read the dials and pilot the airship. It was fairly simple, really; there weren't a lot of controls. This done, Azula yawned and stretched. "I'm tired," she said. "I'm going to go and get a few hours of sleep. If you have any problems, come wake me." Ty Lee nodded, and the former princess took her leave.

After a few minutes, Ty Lee left the controls and went to Mai. With deft fingers, she undid the knot of the gag and took it out. Then she knelt down and began to work on the knots in the cords that held the assassin's wrists. "Just hold still, Mai," she said softly. "I have to leave the chains on, but I think I can take these ropes off. They look like they're hurting you a bit."

"They are a little tight." Mai's voice was quiet. There was silence for a while as the acrobat worked. The cords finally came free; Ty Lee unwound them, wincing at the raw skin underneath. "Ty Lee." The girl looked up to find Mai's narrow eyes resting on her. "This isn't going to end well, you know," the assassin said calmly.

"Oh, it'll be all right, Mai." Ty Lee smiled up at her. "She won't hurt you. I won't let her."

"I didn't mean for me," Mai said. "I meant for you." The acrobat frowned a bit. "Once you touch down and go on foot, it'll be slow going for you, won't it? I've noticed that Azula limps. She can't walk properly, can she?"

"No." Ty Lee rose to her feet slowly and made her way back to the pilot's chair, checking the dials; they were still on course. "It's the shackles she wore," she said softly, without looking up. "They kind of messed up her ankles."

"I thought as much." Mai nodded gravely. "You have to know that every soldier the Fire Nation has is going to be looking for you two, especially now that you've taken me. I'm sure Zuko's got balloons after us. There's no place on earth you'll ever be safe. They're going to find you. Even if you let me go at this point, it's too late." Ty Lee bit her lip. Mai's words had the uncomfortable ring of truth. "And Azula can't go fast or far. It won't be long, Ty." There was silence. "You know they've been ordered to shoot to kill. Both of you are wanted, dead or alive."

"I know that, Mai." Ty Lee's brows came down, and she shot Mai a wounded look. "I'm not very smart, but I knew what I was risking when I saved her."

The assassin searched her face quietly. "Did you, Ty Lee?" she asked gently. "Did you really know what you were getting into?" The acrobat nodded defiantly. "Okay, so you think so. But I don't think that you really did. I don't even think that you do now. Tell me, Ty – what has Azula told you about that whole incident with the assassin?"

Ty Lee blinked. "Well...nothing, actually, I guess," she said slowly, thinking back. "We just never talked about it, really." She frowned. "How come you and Zuko are so sure she did it, anyway? Why won't you believe she's trying to change?"

Mai sighed. "Ty Lee, we've been friends for a long time. Now, you know me. Think for a minute. Do you really think that I'd allow a prisoner – _any _prisoner, Azula included – be tortured and executed for something, unless I was certain they'd done it?" Ty Lee's brow wrinkled. "Now, listen. The assassin was killed, but we found evidence on him of an Earth Kingdom connection. We traced that back pretty quickly to a former Dai Li agent, who flat-out told us that Azula was behind it."

"He could've been lying." The little acrobat's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Perhaps. But after you left, we found another connection." Mai looked at her levelly. "One of the earthbenders assigned to guard Azula was a former Dai Li agent – one loyal to her. We got a full confession from him, Ty Lee. He told us everything." Ty Lee felt sick. She sat down in the pilot's chair and huddled there, letting the tears spill down her cheeks. "But you don't have to take my word for any of this. Ask Azula for yourself. She might lie to you, of course; but then at least you'll know."

Numbly, Ty Lee nodded. She slowly got up from her seat. Checking the dials one last time, she turned away. "I will," she said. "I'm going to ask her." And she headed for the sleeping quarters.

Azula was lying on one of the lower bunks. She lay on her back, her arms folded over her chest. It looked as if she were asleep, but her eyes opened quickly at the sound of Ty Lee entering. She sat up. "What is it, Ty Lee?" Then she caught sight of the acrobat's face, and paused. Her jaw tightened. "You took out Mai's gag, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee fidgeted, her eyes roaming the room. Finally, she looked at her. "She...told me some things, 'Zula. I need to ask you something."

"Like what?" Azula swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat facing her. She seemed calm and composed. Ty Lee suspected that she already knew what she was going to ask.

The little acrobat crept forward and knelt down at Azula's feet, resting her hands on the former princess's knee. "Mai told me they got a confession from one of your guards," she said softly. "He said you were the one who hired the man who tried to kill Zuko. Please, 'Zula, I have to know. Did...did you..." Her lip quivered. "Did you have anything to do with it?" Azula's lips tightened a fraction. Her amber eyes searched Ty Lee's face, calculating. Ty Lee felt a little burst of anger. "Don't lie to me!"

Azula sighed deeply, looking down at Ty Lee's hands, which still rested on her knee. She brushed her own fingers over them gently, in a sort of caress. "What do you want me to say, Ty Lee?"

"I want you to tell me the truth." Tears were already running down Ty Lee's round cheeks. "You did it, didn't you? You did!"

"I did," Azula confirmed quietly.

"Oh, 'Zula," Ty Lee sobbed. "How c-could you?"

"How could I, what?" The girl's eyes blazed. "Why is that so much worse than what he did to me, Ty? He chained me up like an animal and threw me in a cage. He would just have let me rot there for the rest of my life. If it wasn't for you, I would have, in fact. I would have spent the next fifty or sixty years as the ghost of a bad memory."

The little acrobat wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. "B-but...'Zula," she whimpered, "that's..."

"That's what? Different? Why?" Azula waved the question away as soon as she'd asked it. "But never mind that. It's all semantics, anyway. Let's go straight to the point." She leaned forward, taking Ty Lee's tearstained face in her hands, and made her look her in the eye. "The question is this, Ty. Now that you know, what will you do?" Ty Lee stared at her, lip quivering, still giving an occasional hiccup. "You could go and unchain Mai, for example," Azula went on calmly, releasing the girl and leaning back on her hands. "You could do that. I'm sure the two of you could pretty easily take me prisoner and turn me over to my brother to be put to death. Actually, with my wrists being as bad as they are, you could probably do it by yourself without much trouble."

Ty Lee was crying again, shaking her head in denial. "No. No..."

"Or you could stay with me." With a touch almost feather-light, Azula brushed her fingers through Ty Lee's brown hair. The girl's amber eyes were pensive. "I won't lie to you, Ty Lee. I need you. I can't fight, I can't walk far – I can't even brush my own damn hair." - Bitterly. She brushed the tip of her thumb over Ty Lee's lower lip. "Will you stay?"

"A-Azula, I...I d-don't..." The acrobat could hardly speak through her tears. "You...you tried to...you lied...they arrested me! I c-could've been..." Azula didn't say anything. Her fingers continued their gentle movements, now trailing lightly down Ty Lee's cheek. The question still hung in the air. "I...I c-can't..."

"Ty Lee." The princess had never spoken her name in that tone of voice before – soft and coaxing, almost pleading. Her fingers stopped, resting around the curve of Ty Lee's jaw. "Stay with me. I need you."

The little acrobat let her head fall forward, and her sobs quieted. As hurt and upset and bitterly disappointed as she was, she loved Azula – she loved her. There could really only be one answer. Ty Lee slowly reached upward to clasp Azula's hand and hold it against her face. "I'll stay," she whispered. "I'll...I'll stay."

Azula smiled. She once again took Ty Lee's head in her hands and, leaning forward, kissed her softly on the lips. Ty Lee shivered and let her eyes close. There was something bothering her about this, something not quite right...but the thought was lost as Azula's hands slipped down to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. For a few seconds more, Ty Lee drowned in the sensations that were flooding her – then Azula pulled away. The little acrobat found herself in the arms of the former princess. "I knew you would," Azula murmured, rubbing Ty Lee's back. "You're the only one who ever has." There was silence. Ty Lee couldn't think of anything to say. A multitude of half-formed thoughts were flying through her mind. _She lied...but she needs me...she tried to...but what about Mai? I..._

After a while, Azula released her and regarded her through half-closed eyes. "I need to sleep," she said quietly. "And you should probably go make sure we're not flying off course." The little acrobat nodded, still full of misery and confusion. Azula ran a possessive hand through her hair. "Unless you want to ask me something else?" Speechless, Ty Lee shook her head. "That's good. I'll see you in a few hours, then." Ty Lee nodded once more, slowly rising to her feet and turning away. "Oh – and, Ty Lee?" She turned back. Azula looked at her keenly. "Be careful how much you listen to Mai. Don't forget that you two aren't on the same side of this...disagreement." Ty Lee's misery grew, but she said nothing. With one final nod, she made her way slowly back toward the bridge.


	27. Chapter 27

It was their final day aboard the war balloon. Land had appeared on the horizon late that morning, and they were now flying over the gently-rolling hills of the Earth Kingdom instead of the endless waves of the ocean. Azula had gone to catch a few more hours of sleep before they landed; Ty Lee sat quietly in the cockpit of the balloon, her hand resting idly on the control stick. Her eyes were moving absently over the edges of the land beneath them, tracing the contours of hills and valleys. She was silent.

"Have you thought it over, at all?" Mai's calm question broke in on Ty Lee's thoughts. The little acrobat sighed and turned in her chair to look at her. The Fire Lady was still in her seat, chained by both arms and legs. Her narrow eyes rested quietly on Ty Lee. "Well, have you?" she said. "It's still not too late, you know."

Ty Lee shook her head sadly. "Yes, it is," she said softly. "You said it yourself. I'm already wanted, dead or alive. And I can't leave her, Mai."

"Why not?" the hostage demanded.

Ty Lee turned her eyes back to the landscape outside the viewing windows. "Because," she said simply, "Azula needs me."

"That isn't your responsibility, Ty," Mai said sternly. "She's made her own choices. She chose Ozai's side. She chose to try to kill Zuko, to fight him in Agni Kai. She chose to be unrepentant and defiant. Ultimately, it was her own choices drove her mad. And finally, when you and I tried to make things easier for her in prison, she chose to use that leeway to try to kill Zuko again. None of that is on you, Ty Lee. You are not responsible to save Azula from herself."

The gymnast folded her legs up underneath herself and sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit. "It's got nothing to do with responsibilities," she said. "I love her, Mai."

"Of course you do. But don't you love your country, too? - And Zuko, and...well, and me? What about those things?"

Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut. "No. You don't understand," she almost whimpered, holding her clenched fists tightly against her belly. She didn't know how her friend was going to take this. "I mean that I _love_ her. I'm...I'm _in_ love with her."

"...Oh." Mai's voice was flat. There was a long silence. "When did that start happening?"

"A long time ago," Ty Lee said softly. "I think it's been months, at least. But I didn't really know it for sure until a few days ago. I kissed her. And then I felt really horrible and guilty about it afterward, because I'm pretty sure she wasn't expecting it. But she kissed me back after that. So I...I don't know, Mai." - Miserably. "I know it's probably wrong, and all that. But I can't help it."

Another silence followed. Ty Lee finally looked up, timidly glancing toward the tall young woman. Mai was watching her quietly, her expression very carefully neutral. "So that's it, then?" she said gravely. "You're determined to go down with the ship. You're going to willingly put your head into the noose for a woman who was more than happy to put you at risk just to indulge her own petty vengeance schemes against Zuko."

"You just don't understand," Ty Lee murmured. "There's more to her than that."

"There's more to a cobra than that, too. But I still wouldn't keep one in my bed." Ty Lee scowled, and Mai sighed. "Look, I'm not belittling whatever you may be...er...feeling. I'd be the last one to tell you not to do something stupid for someone you care about. We both know I did the same thing myself, once." Ty Lee nodded slowly, thinking of when Mai had turned on her own people to save Zuko's life at the Boiling Rock prison. "But listen to me, Ty," the Fire Lady said. Her voice was soft, but urgent. "Please don't let what you're feeling blind you. Open your eyes. Azula is _using _you. She can't do a thing without you, and she's playing you with every trick she's got. Surely you can see that? I can see it whenever you two interact. She plays the princess for as long as you'll obey her, and when you won't, she plays on your soft heart – pulls a pity ploy, or something like that. She's pulling your strings like a marionette, and you're letting her do it."

The little acrobat curled herself up into a ball on her seat. She felt tired. "I know, Mai," she said quietly. "I'm not so stupid that I can't see that. But there's more to it than that, all right?"

"Is there? Or are you just letting her play you out of some misguided hope that she'll somehow start being nice to you?" Mai's words were cool and blunt. "Azula's been manipulating people all her life, Ty Lee, and she knows you very well. Insane or not, she's in survival mode right now, and she knows she needs you. She'll do everything in her power to keep you under her thumb. But she doesn't _have_ the power anymore, Ty. You do. She can't fight; she doesn't have any armies at her beck and call; she can't even walk. You could easily take her down."

Ty Lee nodded. "I know. She told me that herself," she said. "When I asked her if she'd tried to hurt Zuko, she said yes, and asked me if I was going to turn on her."

Mai's facade of calm shattered. "Why is it okay to turn on me and not on her?" she demanded angrily. "Just explain that to me, Ty Lee! That girl has said horrible things to you. She's thrown you in prison. She's betrayed you. She treats you like dirt. What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing, Mai. You never did anything to me." Ty Lee closed her eyes miserably. "B-but...I haven't turned on you, Mai. I swear I haven't. I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"Right. So punching me in the back, stealing my signet ring and using it to break my husband's would-be murderer out of prison isn't hurting me, I suppose. And attacking me in my own beach house, kidnapping me, shackling me like a slave and taking me out of my home country against my will isn't hurting me, either?" Mai's scorn was withering. "You'll really have to share with me your definition of the word 'hurt,' Ty Lee. It must be interesting."

"Oh, Mai..." Ty Lee moaned, burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I really am. I'm...I'm just trying to...I couldn't let them kill her, Mai! I couldn't do it. I still can't." She looked up again, biting her lips. "I guess if that means I might have to die with her, then...then that's what it means. I'd hafta go sometime, anyway."

There was obvious exasperation in Mai's eyes – and worry. She shifted forward in her seat as much as her chains would allow. "Ty Lee, I'm going to forget for a moment that I'm the wife of the Fire Lord, and talk to you just as your friend. All right?" The little acrobat shrugged one shoulder. "I don't want to have to watch you hang. I don't want you to be scorched to death by Fire Nation soldiers in some godforsaken little corner of the Earth Kingdom. I want you to give your head a shake. I'm not asking you to turn her in, or anything like that. Just turn yourself in, Ty. Then I can help you. Please, Ty Lee, listen to me." The gymnast bit her lips until the blood came. "Let me help you," Mai said again, her voice softer.

Ty Lee looked away. She began to mechanically check the dials on the panel. "I can't," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

The door opened, and Azula walked in. She was limping noticeably; Ty Lee thought about what Mai had said, and winced. "Where are we?" the former princess asked, moving over to look at the map. Ty Lee wordlessly gave it up. Nodding slowly, Azula looked at it, then glanced out the viewing windows, her amber eyes narrowed in thought. "I'm going to bring us down over there," she said, pointing to a shadowy point on the horizon. "There's enough gullies and gulches in the area that we can find places to hide. If we follow those canyons to the east, we'll eventually wind up near Gaoling. I think we can probably replenish our supplies there. Then we can regroup and figure out where to go next."

"Okay, 'Zula." Ty Lee got up to allow Azula to take the controls.

"Go pack up our supplies, Ty Lee," Azula instructed, examining the dials. "I think you'll have to carry most of them, although we can probably load some onto Mai, here." The assassin glowered at this. "Oh, and bring a few coils of rope. Chains won't be practical out in the open, and I don't want to run out of restraints for our guest."

"Okay." Sadly, Ty Lee went to do as she was ordered.

Less than an hour later, the balloon touched down. Azula rose from the captain's seat and turned on Mai, all cold efficiency. "Ty Lee, unchain her feet and put her down on her knees. Don't release her arms yet." The little acrobat's eyes misted as she obeyed. Mai didn't look at her, but Ty Lee knew that she was scowling. Azula drew something from her belt – a sharp knife. Ty Lee's eyes widened as the former princess caught Mai by the hair and pressed the blade underneath her ear. "Now," Azula said calmly, "you're going to stay still, Mai. I'd much rather keep you as insurance, but I won't hesitate to slit your throat if you so much as twitch. I think my wrists are good enough for _that. _Do we understand each other?"

The assassin didn't flinch. "Perfectly," she said. Her voice was precise and icy cold.

"Glad to hear it." Azula's hawk eyes flicked to Ty Lee. "Unchain her arms, and tie her hands behind her back."

Ty Lee's lips quivered. She quickly stooped down and released the cuffs on Mai's wrists. "Don't hurt her, 'Zula," she pleaded softly as she worked. "You promised that you wouldn't."

"I promised I wouldn't unless it was necessary." The former princess dug the tip of the knife into Mai's skin until she winced. "So, as long as her highness doesn't decide to do something stupid, she's perfectly safe. Isn't that right, Mai?" Azula chuckled darkly. The hostage's lip curled, but she said nothing. She didn't resist as Ty Lee bound her wrists together with some of the rope she'd brought. "Good." The princess released Mai's hair and took the blade from her throat. She looked the prisoner up and down, and shook her head. "No good. She still looks exactly like a Fire Nation noblewoman. If we're going to sneak around with her, we have to make her look scruffy."

The little acrobat's brow wrinkled. She didn't think she'd ever seen Mai look "scruffy" in her life! She put her head on one side, trying to picture it. Azula rubbed her chin for a moment, then handed Ty Lee the knife. "Her hair's a dead giveaway," she said. "Cut it short. Maybe not as short as we did yours, but no longer than shoulder-length. Hurry." Hesitantly, Ty Lee took out the combs that held up Mai's ebony tresses. Her hair spilled down over her shoulders and fell nearly to the floor. The noblewoman was silent, glaring fixedly. With an inward whimper, Ty Lee began to shear the hair off at an inch or two above the shoulder. "That's a bit better," Azula muttered, as the acrobat cut the last few locks. "There's still the clothes, though. Cut that robe off her. It screams royalty."

"B-but...won't she get cold?" Ty Lee protested softly. "We're not in the Fire Nation anymore..."

"We'll get her something else as soon as we can," Azula said impatiently. "Just do it! I don't want to stay on this bloody balloon any longer than we have to." Ty Lee obeyed. The crimson material parted under the sharp blade, and Mai's outer robe fell loose, leaving her in only her black, long-sleeved undershirt and wide-legged pants. "That'll have to do," Azula muttered. "All right – let's go. I want to put some distance between us and this balloon." She dealt Mai a none-too-gentle nudge with her foot, very close to a kick. "Get up and start walking, your highness." Shooting Azula a dirty look, the assassin rose to her feet and did as she was told.

Ty Lee followed unhappily. "What about the boy we shut up in the boiler room?" she asked timidly, as the three emerged into the sunlight together.

"He'll be fine," Azula said shortly. "You gave him something to eat, right?" The acrobat nodded. "It won't be more than a day before someone finds this thing. Don't worry about him. We have our own skins to worry about." She thrust the knife back into her belt. "Let's head south first. I saw a canyon down that way that we should be able to lose ourselves in. Take charge of the prisoner – keep her in front of you."

"All right." Ty Lee sighed a bit as she took Mai's arm. "Come on, Mai. Let's go." The young noblewoman quietly fell into step as Ty Lee followed after Azula.

They walked for about an hour before they had to stop. Azula eased herself down on the ground, her teeth gritted, and rested her back against a rock formation. Ty Lee knelt down and began to rub the sore ankles, digging her thumbs gently into the swollen joints. "Is that a little better, 'Zula?" she asked after a while.

"A bit." Azula's brows were drawn down in a scowl. "We have to keep going. The minute they find that balloon, there'll be people searching for us for miles. ­_Agni - !" _Her attempt to rise was foiled. With a hiss of pain, she sank back down.

"Just relax," Ty Lee said gently. "I'll rub them a bit more. We'll go again as soon as we can." She worked on the aching limbs for a few minutes longer. Then she paused, considering. "Maybe it'd help if I tied them up for you. Give me your knife for a sec." Azula gave up the blade. Ty Lee was still wearing the wide-legged trousers they had taken from Mai's wardrobe on Ember Island. She cut a wide strip of cloth from the bottom of each leg. _They were too long on me, anyway, _the acrobat reflected, returning the knife. Then she carefully bound up Azula's aching feet. "Is that any better?" she asked, as Azula tentatively got up.

"Yes. It is, actually." The former princess glanced at her. "Thanks," she said shortly. Then, before Ty Lee could respond, Azula turned to where Mai was sitting and flicked the side of her head sharply. "On your feet, Fire Lady. Let's move." The glare Mai shot at her made Ty Lee shiver. Again, however, the hostage said nothing. Ty Lee watched as Mai got up.

Chewing her lip uncertainly, Ty Lee followed after the two of them in silence for a minute or two. "I don't think you have to hit Mai," she said at last, faltering, raising her eyes to Azula. The former princess looked back at her with a frown. "Well, you don't," Ty Lee insisted, almost defiantly. "And it's not right."

"This isn't a fancy-dress ball, Ty Lee," Azula said coldly. "This is life or death. And anyway, she's fine. No blood, right?" The little acrobat's brow furrowed. "Don't be such a coward, Ty Lee."

"I'm not a coward," Ty Lee said stoutly. "I just don't want to hurt anybody unless we have to. I don't like you hitting Mai."

Azula abruptly stopped walking, turning to face Ty Lee. Her amber eyes narrowed a bit as they searched the little acrobat's face. She was once again wearing that calculating expression she had worn when Ty Lee had questioned her about the assassin. Ty Lee was a bit frightened, but she held her ground, stubbornly thrusting out her lower lip. At last, Azula sighed and turned away. "Fine. If it offends your delicate sensibilities that much, I'll treat my brother's little tramp with kid gloves. Now, let's _go. _We need to get under cover."

Ty Lee's eyes widened. "What? 'My brother's little...'" She stopped as Azula kept walking. After a moment's hesitation, Ty Lee frowned, sighed, and hurried to keep up. The three girls fell silent, heading for the canyon that was now visible in the distance.


	28. Chapter 28

It was well past midnight when Azula finally allowed the little group to stop for the night. They found a small cavern in the rocky wall of the canyon that had nothing more in it than a few koala-bats. Azula immediately sat down, propping her legs up on a stone with a groan of relief. "Tie Mai to something, Ty Lee," she said gruffly, leaning back against the cave wall. "I don't want her trying to escape during the night."

"Okay, 'Zula." Ty Lee was very tired. Neither she nor the former princess had really gotten enough sleep during their time on the war balloon, and it had been a long day. She wearily found a thick stalagmite, sat Mai down with her back against it, and bound her to it with rope. She took care that the bonds weren't too tight. "Is that all right, Mai?" she asked quietly. "Do the ropes hurt?"

"They're fine." Mai met her gaze. "Don't forget what I said," she murmured, her voice very low. "My offer's still open." Ty Lee sighed, shook her head, and turned away.

There wasn't much in the way of food. They had some oats left, some very dry bread, and a few pieces of dried meat. Ty Lee built a small cooking fire with the flint and steel they'd brought from Ember Island, and began to make the last of their oats into a porridge. There would only be enough for each of them to have about half a bowl, but it would be better than nothing. Ty Lee stirred the pot, breathing in the warm smell of cooking grain. When it was done, she spooned out a ration of it and brought it to Azula, kneeling down to lay it in her hands. "Would you like me to rub your ankles again, 'Zula?" she asked softly.

"Later, yes. You'd better feed Mai, first." Azula took a mouthful of porridge. "Mm...thanks, Ty. It's good." The little acrobat smiled and turned to ladle out a second bowl for Mai. The prisoner ate in silence what Ty Lee fed her, and made no attempts at conversation. Lastly, Ty Lee rinsed out Mai's bowl and served the last few spoonfuls of food into it. She sat down to eat it in the Fire Nation fashion, her feet tucked underneath her. It would have been better with honey, but at least it was satisfying.

Azula's eyes were on Ty Lee when she looked up. The little acrobat set down her empty bowl. Without a word, she moved to kneel at Azula's feet. Taking one of the girl's ankles, she lifted it into her lap and unwound the makeshift bandages. Azula watched through half-shut eyes as Ty Lee began to gently rub the stiff, swollen joint. After a moment she sighed and closed her eyes, rolling her black head back against the stone wall, her relief evident in the relaxing of her jaw. "It's too bad we don't have any molasses or willow bark," Ty Lee said quietly, running her skilled fingers around the bony knob of the ankle. "We should've got some from Silas before we left."

"Well, that's past praying for now. Maybe we'll find some in Gaoling." Azula's face relaxed even more as Ty Lee unwrapped and rubbed her other ankle. "Oh, gods, that's good!"

"Why Gaoling, anyway?" Ty Lee wanted to know. "I would've thought we'd go to Ba Sing Se. Who do we know in Gaoling?"

"Nobody. That's the point." Azula opened her eyes to look at her again. "Omashu's out of the question, for obvious reasons – Fire Lady connections." Ty Lee nodded soberly. Mai's father had been the governor of Omashu during the Fire Nation's occupation of the city, and she still had a lot of family and allies there. It would certainly be dangerous to show their faces anywhere in the area. "And Ba Sing Se...well, frankly, whatever connections I had there aren't reliable."

"Really?" Ty Lee blinked, cocking her head. "How come? I thought the Dai Li liked you."

Azula gave her an almost pitying look. "The Dai Li are for the Dai Li," she said patiently. "They're good for a favor or two – like Zuko's assassin, for example." She glanced over Ty Lee's shoulder at Mai, favoring the young noblewoman with a small smirk. The little acrobat frowned. "But they'll do whatever is politically expedient for them at the time. I have the feeling that I'd be much more useful to them as a bargaining chip than anything else right now. And besides," and the former princess shrugged, "my uncle lives there. He'd not even wait to give me to Zuko. He'd probably just break my neck himself, with his bare hands."

"I don't know about _that..._" Ty Lee's voice was doubtful.

"Well. It doesn't matter." Azula shuffled over, easing herself down onto one of their sleeping mats. Propping her head up on her arm, she gave Ty Lee a quiet smile. "Come here, Ty." The little acrobat hesitated, and Azula's smile widened a bit. "Well, come on. You're going to sleep tonight, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee paused a bit longer, chewing her lip, then gave in. She felt Azula's arms pulling her close, and rested her head against the former princess's chest. The steady thrum of Azula's heartbeat throbbed in her ears as slim fingers caressed the side of her face. Ty Lee sighed softly, a little shiver of happiness rippling over her. "I love you, 'Zula," she whispered.

"Mm." Azula's eyes were burning with a strange intensity as she looked down at her. "I'm glad you're here, Ty Lee." Her hand rested softly against Ty Lee's cheek. "I don't know what I'd ever have done without you." A small smile curved her lips as she studied the little acrobat's face. "I'm glad you stayed with me."

"I know," Ty Lee said softly. "You need me, right?" She drew her hands up timidly to rest them against the bare skin of Azula's stomach. It felt soft and smooth beneath her palms. She ached to caress it, but she wasn't sure how much leeway Azula would give her.

"I need you," the former princess murmured, nodding. She slid her hand underneath Ty Lee's arms and drew her up until she could look into the acrobat's face. Ty Lee lay passively as Azula's fingers played with her hair. "I'd like to apologize for not telling you about that plot against my big brother," she said seriously. Ty Lee's eyes widened. "No, really," Azula murmured. "After all, you are my...well, my partner in all this. I should at least have given you a chance to make your own contingency plans. I can see why that would have annoyed you."

Ty Lee blinked. "Well, it...it didn't exactly 'annoy' me, 'Zula, but...I forgive you, I guess."

Azula smiled. She seemed pleased as she laid a small kiss on the corner of Ty Lee's mouth. "You're a good girl, Ty Lee," she said quietly. "I always did like you best." The little acrobat's brow wrinkled. With a light chuckle, Azula laid her head down and rested one arm possessively around Ty Lee's waist. "Good night, Ty." The amber eyes closed.

Ty Lee lay quietly, watching Azula as she fell asleep. It had been a while since she had simply watched over her princess. After a time, Azula's breathing grew deeper, and her thin face relaxed. The little acrobat leaned over, pulled Zuko's cloak from where it lay against the cave wall, and gently spread it over the girl's sleeping form. Azula didn't move.

A soft sound made Ty Lee turn her head suddenly. Mai's eyes glinted at her out of the darkness; the gymnast had forgotten she was even there. "Can we talk?" the hostage asked.

The acrobat sighed, sitting up slowly so as not to wake Azula. "Mai, I'm really tired."

"I'm sure you are. But Ty, you're running out of time," the hostage said quietly. "We made, what – maybe four miles today? You've got two or three days until they catch up with you at that rate, and that's if you're lucky." Ty Lee didn't look at her. "Look, you're a formidable fighter. I know that. I've fought alongside you. I know you're quite capable of holding Zuko's men off for a while. But even you can't fight the entire Fire Nation – not to mention Zuko's Earth Kingdom allies. Sooner or later, they'll get you. And using me as a hostage won't really gain you much in the end."

"I know," Ty Lee said, with a touch of impatience. "But I've already told you, I'm not leaving Azula. If I have to share whatever happens to her, fine. I wish you'd just leave me alone."

"Hear me out. I'm not finished." Mai lowered her brows. "Okay. So you won't give this up, and you won't leave her. You're stupid, but fine – it's your choice." Ty Lee scowled. "I can still help you. I can make a plea for you. If you let me go, I'll find whoever's tailing you and try to have your lives spared." The acrobat still didn't look at her. "Come on, Ty. What other chance have you got? Do you actually want to get yourself killed?"

Finally, Ty Lee's eyes met Mai's. "No, I don't," she said. "But I'm in this too deep to get out now." She shrugged one shoulder and smiled faintly. "Well, if you're right, at least all this will be over pretty soon. That's good, right?"

"Ty Lee -"

"Mai." The gymnast shook her head, still smiling. "No. I'll make sure you don't get hurt, and I'll make you as comfortable as I can, but I'm not betraying Azula by cutting you loose. And I'm not leaving her, like I said." Mai shut her mouth tightly. Ty Lee sighed and moved over to her, putting her arms around her. It had been a long time since she had hugged Mai, she realized with a pang – and maybe she never would again. "Look at it this way," she murmured. "It's only for a few more days, if you're right. Then you can go home and be with Zuko again."

"Oh, gods," Mai groaned. "Would you just stop being such an idiot?"

"I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess." Ty Lee let go and turned away. "Good night, Mai." She drew her sleeping mat up close to Azula's and lay down, curving her own body protectively around the princess's. Soon she fell asleep, soothed by the soft sound of Azula's breathing.


	29. Chapter 29

The fugitives were up with the sun the next morning. After rolling up their sleeping mats, Azula had gone outside to meditate. Ty Lee untied the cords that held Mai to the column of rock. The prisoner's sleeves were bunched up to her elbows, displaying a few angry rope burns against her white skin. Ty Lee frowned a bit at this as she carefully coiled the ropes. _She must have been trying to get free last night. I better make extra sure I tie her properly tonight. _She tucked the ropes into her own pack and checked the bonds that restrained Mai's wrists. They hadn't loosened any, but the skin beneath them was red and raw. Ty Lee sat back on her heels and looked at the captive sternly. "You've been trying to get away."

"Hey, look at that. Shocker, isn't it?" Mai said lightly. Her narrow eyes boldly met Ty Lee's gray ones.

"Don't let Azula catch you doing that, Mai." The little acrobat shook her head and picked up the second pack. "Here, hold still." She fastened the straps over Mai's shoulders. The assassin scowled, and Ty Lee smiled. "Well, I can't exactly carry _everything_, can I? And Azula's having enough trouble walking as it is." She got up and helped Mai to her feet. "Come on. Let's go."

Azula was sitting on a large stone, her eyes closed. She turned and opened her eyes as Ty Lee approached her. Her golden eyes were very calm. "Are we ready?" she asked.

"Yeah." Ty Lee set down her pack. "Guess I'd better tie up your ankles before we start out, huh?"

"Yes." The former princess unfolded herself and watched through half-closed eyes as Ty Lee knelt down at her feet. She didn't speak again until the task was completed. "Good. Come on," she said, rising and turning eastward. "Let's try to put some distance between ourselves and my dear brother. Don't forget to keep your eye on the prisoner."

"I won't forget, 'Zula." Ty Lee slung her pack onto her back and put a hand gently on the young noblewoman's back. "Come on, Mai." Silently, the captive fell into step behind Azula. Ty Lee followed a pace or two behind.

There was a definite chill in the late autumn air. Both Azula and Ty Lee were wearing the cloaks they'd brought with them from Ember Island. Ty Lee looked at the long-sleeved shirt that Mai was wearing and frowned a bit. It covered the young woman's neck and arms, but she doubted it could be very warm; it was meant to be worn beneath a full robe in the heat of the Fire Nation, after all. She understood why Azula had ordered her to leave Mai's robe behind, but she still didn't like it much. _When we get to Gaoling, _she resolved, _I'm going to make sure to find something warmer for Mai._

Their pace was no quicker than it had been the day before, despite what were obviously Azula's best efforts. They still had to stop for a few minutes every hour so she could rest her aching feet. Each time, Ty Lee quietly stooped down to rub them for her. She wasn't sure how much it was actually helping, but it did seem to give Azula some temporary relief. By the time the afternoon came, they had covered no more than four miles.

With a soft curse, Azula stumbled and fell, catching at a large rock to keep from sprawling out on the stony ground. Ty Lee quickly moved to her side. "Are you all right, 'Zula? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine," Azula growled, pulling herself up. "I'm – _ah! _Bloody hell." Her left leg gave way beneath her, and she dropped to her knees. Clenching her teeth, the former princess sighed and let herself slump against the rock again. "It's no good. I can't do it. We'll have to stop again."

"Then we'll stop." Ty Lee sat Mai against an outcropping and knelt down to draw Azula's left foot into her lap. "You can only do what you can do, 'Zula," she said gently.

"That's a lovely sentiment," the black-haired girl said coldly, "but at this rate, we might as well just sit here and wait for Fire Lord Zuzu to stroll up to us." She hissed and clenched her fists as Ty Lee's fingers worked; the little acrobat rubbed more gently. "And I won't even be able to fight back when he does catch us," Azula muttered. "Once they're here, all I'll be able to do is stand there and wait to be killed."

"Maybe they won't catch us," Ty Lee said softly, leaning over to kiss Azula's cheek. "Besides, I wouldn't ever let anybody lay a hand on you, 'Zula. You'll see."

Azula scowled, watching darkly as the little acrobat switched over to her right foot. "That might work for a while, but I think we both know it won't work forever." Her amber eyes flicked over to where Mai was waiting, and narrowed. "We have to think about other options, in case we can't make it to Gaoling before they catch up to us."

Ty Lee glanced back at Mai, then turned her gaze back to the ankle she was massaging. She could feel a hard knot forming in the pit of her stomach. "What other options?" she asked quietly, without looking at her.

"The Fire Lady's our insurance," Azula said coolly. "Now, I might not be a firebender anymore, but I think my knife would be just as effective as a threat." She leaned back, holding her elbows. "If the time comes, I want you to paralyze Mai. She's been compliant so far, but I don't think she'll sit quietly when it comes down to it. If she can't stand, it'll be better. Then I'll hold the knife to her throat, while you watch whoever we're dealing with. Then you can take them out if they make any stupid moves."

"I guess that would work." Ty Lee looked at Azula through her lashes. "You aren't actually going to...to do it, are you?" she faltered. "I mean, you aren't really going to...cut her."

Placidly, Azula shrugged. "Not unless it's necessary," she said. "I never play my cards before their time, and she's a high card." She fixed Ty Lee with a keen look. "We took Mai as a hostage, Ty Lee. She isn't just along for the ride. You do know that, don't you?"

The little acrobat looked down again. "I guess so," she said. "But..."

"If that moment comes, it'll be either her throat slit or ours," Azula said grimly. "Don't forget that."

There was a lump in Ty Lee's throat. "I...guess." Tears stung her eyes. She hung her head. "I wish we could all just go home," she whispered. "I never wanted to hurt anybody."

She heard Azula sigh. "There's no more home to go to, Ty." The girl's voice was unusually quiet. There was a pause; then Azula gently tugged her foot out of Ty Lee's grasp. With a sudden effort, she pulled herself to her feet. The only visible sign of pain she gave was a slight tightening of her lips. "Let's go," Azula said shortly. "We've got at least another three days of walking ahead of us before we get to Gaoling. Don't forget to check Mai's ropes before we start out again."

"All right, 'Zula." The little acrobat wiped her eyes and went to do as she was told. The knots that held Mai's wrists were still tight. Ty Lee's hands were gentle as she helped the young noblewoman back to her feet. "Watch your step," she said softly as they set out again. "The ground's getting pretty rocky." Silently, Mai nodded.

They walked in silence. Ty Lee's eyes rested forlornly on the back of their hostage. Memories flowed. When she and Mai had been released from prison at the end of the war, they'd had a joyful reunion. Even the stoic Mai had smiled! They'd been good friends before that, of course; but their friendship had grown immeasurably in strength since then. Ty Lee thought about the royal wedding, and how she had wept copious tears as Zuko and Mai had joined hands over the torch that symbolized Agni's flame. She thought about all the afternoons she'd spent in Mai's study, talking quietly. She thought, too, about how Mai was almost always willing to stop whatever she was doing to listen to her. _And now, _she thought, her throat tightening, _I'm supposed to paralyze her and just watch while Azula holds a knife to her throat? I can't do it. I just...can't. _

_But then, what? _she asked herself. _If a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers did get us cornered, could I just let them have Mai? Then we'd be...dead. They'd just kill us. _Ty Lee rubbed the back of her neck in frustration. _I wish I knew what was the right thing to do._

_...Unless I were to take Mai's last offer. _The gymnast bit her lip; her gray eyes moved from Mai's long silhouette to Azula's petite one. _What if I were to just...well, accidentally leave Mai's ropes too loose some night? I could tell her to run. With the search that's probably on right now, it wouldn't take her long to find someone from the Fire Nation. She could ask Zuko to spare us, then, like she said. _Ty Lee breathed deeply. _But I don't think Mai would try very hard to save Azula. And I don't think Zuko would let up, even if she did. Which leaves me...back where I started._ She sighed heavily. _There's got to be a way to save Azula without hurting anyone else. Gods, I wish I was smarter._

Suddenly, Azula stopped walking. Ty Lee looked up in puzzlement, and saw that the girl's golden eyes were narrowed; she was looking back the way they had come. The acrobat turned and followed Azula's line of sight. What she saw made her heart leap into her throat.

About a mile away, there was a group of people approaching. Even at that distance, Ty Lee could see enough to tell that they were dressed in the distinctive crimson of the Fire Nation. There were at least ten of them, if not more – it was hard to tell. She could make out two or three people ahead of the main group, mounted on mongoose lizards. Ty Lee looked back at Azula, her eyes widening in fear. "They're coming, 'Zula! What'll we do?"

"Paralyze Mai," the former princess growled, her eyes still fixed on their pursuers. When Ty Lee hesitated, Azula's glare flicked to her. "Do it!" Choking back a sob, the little acrobat darted out a hand toward their captive. Mai ducked away suddenly, bringing her leg swiftly around in a sweeping kick. Ty Lee barely managed to avoid having her feet taken out from under her. Flipping into the air, the acrobat landed a sharp jab between Mai's shoulders as she landed. The captive grunted and went down hard. "Come on. We'll hide behind there," Azula said, pointing to a small pile of boulders. "It'll be better if we have the element of surprise. Hurry!" Ty Lee grasped the limp prisoner firmly beneath the arms and dragged her over to the spot Azula had indicated. The former princess sat down in the corner between the pile of rocks and the cliff face. With some difficulty, she pulled Mai up into her arms until she had the young woman's head pinned with her left hand, and her knife drawn in her right. Ty Lee crouched down beside them. Her fists were clenched so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands.

As their hunters came closer, Ty Lee began to be able to pick out more details. She counted twelve, including the three who were mounted on mongoose lizards. Nine of them looked like Fire Nation soldiers, probably firebenders. Three were dressed in the green and gold of the Earth Kingdom army – she'd have to assume they were earthbenders. _Twelve benders, three of them riding. _Ty Lee's mouth felt dry. She'd taken on groups of fighters singlehandedly before, of course, but she'd always had backup. If she failed here...she forced her hands to relax. _Have to figure out who to take out first. _Her eyes flicked over the riders. _They'll get here first...but then the others will have more notice that we're here, and they'll be ready for me. Maybe I'll wait, and hope that the lizards don't sniff us out. Then I could try to take out as many of the main group as I can before the others can double back...problem is, Azula's position is exposed from that side, so they'll see her. _Ty Lee pressed her lips together grimly. _Well, that's all there is to it, then. I'll just have to take out the riders first and the ones on foot after._ She crouched down, bunching her legs beneath her, ready to spring. She waited until the foremost rider was almost level with their hiding place. Then, Ty Lee attacked.

The first firebender went down easily, caught completely by surprise. Ty Lee dropped him with a sharp jab beneath his chest plate. Then, using her momentum to flip herself lightly into the air toward the second rider, she gave his neck a sharp pinch; he dropped. Her feet landed fair on the back of the mongoose lizard. With perfect balance, the acrobat spun on the ball of her right foot to face the third rider. His hands were just thrusting forward. Ty Lee sprang gracefully, spinning overtop of the blast of flame that spurted from his palms, and landed just behind his saddle. Twisting at the waist, she brought the side of her hand down sharply on the side of his neck, just above the thick collar of his armor. The soldier slumped over and fell from his mount. With a light hop, Ty Lee landed on the ground and faced her remaining nine opponents, who were now well aware of her presence.

The earthbenders stepped forward as a unit, stomping their feet. Stones flew up from the ground and were sent flying at her. Ty Lee leaped forward to meet them, turning a handspring at the last moment to let the hurtling rocks fly harmlessly underneath her. The earthbenders, true to form, were wearing only light leather armor. With a few quick jabs of her fists, she dropped them. As the last one fell, Ty Lee felt rather than saw another attack coming. She rolled; a mighty ball of flame scorched harmlessly past her.

The next few moments were chaos. The firebenders were harder to defeat. Ty Lee found herself being driven back, nearly to where she had started from. She managed to disable four of them, but there were still two left. One of them charged. He was nearly on top of where Azula and Mai were huddled! Alarmed, Ty Lee launched herself up toward him. His hands thrust forward; the acrobat dodged another searing blast of flame. A second fireball burst toward her! Ty Lee leaped up, flipping overtop of it. As she came down, she reached out and pinched a pressure point in his neck; the soldier dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

_Boom! _The world suddenly seemed to shudder and burst into flame. Ty Lee let out a little scream of pain and shock as she felt herself being hurled backward! Her body struck the rock wall with a sickening crunch. Nauseating pain shot through her skull. Then she was on the ground, her mouth full of blood and sand. Ty Lee lay gasping in confusion as her vision faded. She caught a glimpse of a red-armored figure approaching her – then she knew no more.


	30. Chapter 30

Ty Lee's head ached fiercely. She had some vague conviction that she ought to be...well, somewhere else, doing some­_thing_ else, but where or what that might be, she had no idea. It had something to do with the cause of her headache, she felt certain.

Her headache, and Mai, and maybe something about porridge.

...Although what possible connection there could be between those three items, she couldn't quite figure out.

Something cool and wet dabbed gently over her right eye, startling her out of her confused visions of Mai lobbing a pot of porridge at her head. Whatever was touching her, it stung. Ty Lee suddenly noticed that her left side hurt as well, and that she felt cold. Whatever she was lying on was hard and uneven. The cool wetness wiped at her forehead, and the stinging sensation grew. Wincing, Ty Lee slowly pried her eyelids open.

She was lying on her back on the ground, beneath a cliff. The sight of it looming over her gave her vertigo; the little acrobat shut her eyes again, wincing once more as her stomach lurched. She felt a cool hand press against the left side of her face. "Ty Lee. Can you hear me?" _That's Azula's voice. _Dizzily, Ty Lee opened her eyes again and peered upward. Her roiling stomach protested, and she suddenly found herself retching helplessly. Gentle hands turned her onto her side and held her head as she heaved and choked.

Finally, the sickness passed. Ty Lee was turned onto her back again; her head was propped up with something soft. Gasping, she looked up. Her vision was strangely fuzzy, but she could make out Azula's face bending over her. Ty Lee frowned a little; her voice cracked as she whispered the girl's name. She saw Azula nod. "That's right. Now look – how many fingers am I holding up?"

"What?" It took a few seconds for Ty Lee to make sense of the question. Then she squinted at the blurry hand that hovered before her. "Um...f-four?" she guessed.

Azula sighed. There was a pause, and then the wet object daubed gently at Ty Lee's right eye once more. "Hold still," the former princess murmured. "You got cut, and you're bleeding all over the place." The acrobat let her eyes drift shut again. She wished she could stop the throbbing pain in her skull long enough to think for a minute. Sleep beckoned. "Stay awake, Ty Lee," Azula said sharply, laying her palm against her cheek again. "Just stay conscious, all right? Open your eyes." Ty Lee groggily obeyed. "Good girl." Azula released her. "Where does it hurt, Ty? Tell me."

"My head," the little acrobat muttered. "Mostly my head...my side, too..."

"Is that it?" Azula asked. "Is there anywhere else?"

"I think that's it." Ty Lee squirmed a bit, trying to blink and clear her vision. She was starting to feel a bit panicky. "Everything's all...fuzzy, 'Zula..."

"Relax." The voice of the former princess was gentle. "You're hurt, Ty. You took a pretty nasty shot, and you hit your head on a rock. You're going to be all right, but don't try to get up." Ty Lee felt the girl gently swab at her face again. The sensation felt far away; profound sleepiness was tugging at her eyelids. "Stay awake. Ty Lee, don't go to sleep!" Azula's voice was sharp. The little acrobat tried to obey her, but the roaring darkness was swallowing her whole. She whispered an apology as she slipped out of consciousness.

When she came to again, Ty Lee felt a little better. Her head still throbbed painfully, but she didn't feel so nauseous anymore. She could hear someone moving around. Very cautiously, she opened one eye.

It was dark. She was lying beside a small campfire; her body was covered with a cloak, and her head was pillowed on something soft. Across the fire from where she lay, she could see Azula. The girl was kneeling on the ground with their cooking pot between her knees, doing something with her hands. Her face was scrunched in pain and concentration. Ty Lee couldn't quite make out what she was doing, but she seemed to be twisting and tearing at something in the pot. After a minute or two, Azula finally stopped, and set the vessel carefully over the glowing coals.

"Well, Azula?" came Mai's calm voice. "What are you going to do?" Ty Lee's eyes turned down toward the sound. Mai was sitting quietly against the face of the cliff, her hands still tied behind her back. Her pale lips were curved into a slight smirk.

"Shut up." Azula didn't even look at her. Ty Lee saw her amber eyes narrow.

"Come on, Azula. You're going to have to make a decision." Mai sat back, her gaze resting coolly on the former princess. "It's not like you can carry Ty Lee all the way to Gaoling. And you sure can't control me properly without her, either. So what are you going to do? You can stay here and wait for them to find you, or you can cut me loose and leave."

"Shut. Up." Azula's face flushed. She stirred angrily at the contents of the cooking pot, her black brows lowered in a scowl.

Mai did not 'shut up.' "If you leave," she said quietly, "I might be able to save Ty Lee's life. I'm Zuko's wife; he'll listen to me. You're past saving, of course – but maybe she isn't." She paused. "Or am I right about everything, Azula? Maybe you really don't care about her at all, except for what she can do for you. Is that it? Are you going to drag her down with you, just because you can?"

Ty Lee looked at Azula again. The former princess was gritting her teeth, glaring down into the campfire. Her hands rested against her knees; Ty Lee could see her bony fingers twitching. "I'm not giving up," Azula hissed through her teeth. "I will not!"

"No one's asking you to." Mai's narrow eyes were gleaming in something like triumph. "I'm just saying that maybe you could give Ty Lee a chance. Even if your sanity is still lacking a bit – although I've seen precious little sign of _that _lately – surely you know that you're not going to win this one. No matter what you do, eventually the Fire Nation's going to find you, and we both know you won't survive that encounter." She paused. "But if you untie me and leave, I'll try to save Ty."

"Bitch." Azula's voice was choked. To Ty Lee's horror, she saw that the girl's eyes were filling with tears, and that something other than anger was beginning to soften her face. _She...she can't be listening to this! She can't really be thinking of leaving...?_

Panic flooded Ty Lee's breast. She cried out, scrambling to sit up as a wave of dizziness crashed over her. "No! 'Zula, don't. Don't leave me! Please, don't," she pleaded, floundering, tears springing to her eyes. Startled and alarmed, Azula quickly dropped what she was doing and moved to Ty Lee's side. The little acrobat wrapped her arms tightly around Azula's body the moment she could reach – she clung to her, sobbing. "Don't go," she begged. "Please don't go. They'll kill you! Please don't go..."

"It's okay. Ty, it's okay. Calm down." Azula patted her back lightly, supporting the girl's weight with her left arm. "Shh – relax."

"Please don't leave me," Ty Lee whimpered, burying her face in Azula's lean shoulder.

"I won't. Calm down, Ty." The former princess laid a soothing hand on the back of Ty Lee's head. "Just relax. I'm not going anywhere, all right?" She pulled back to look into her wet gray eyes. "Now, look at me. It's all right. Understand?" Tearfully, Ty Lee nodded. "Take a deep breath for me." The gymnast obediently took a shivering gulp of air. "Good girl." Azula smiled gravely. "Now, lie down. You need to take it easy. You've been unconscious for hours." She eased Ty Lee back down. The little acrobat still clung to her, unwilling to let go. Azula sighed and smiled a bit, laying a slim hand on Ty Lee's forehead. "It's all right," she said again, firmly. "I'm not going anywhere. Now let me loose so I can get you something to eat, Ty." With one last, choked sob, Ty Lee obeyed. Azula ducked her head briefly to lay a kiss on Ty Lee's forehead. Then she got up and went back to the fire.

Ty Lee sank into a light doze. There were all sorts of strange visions flashing in front of her – she caught little snatches of sense in some of them, like the one where a red dragon with Zuko's face was chasing them up the main hall of the palace, trying to devour them with fiery jaws. She was just starting to wonder how on earth a dragon could have fit through the front doors of the palace, anyway, when a hand on her arm pulled her back to reality. Azula was leaning over her. Seeing her awake, she smiled a bit. "Are you hungry?" she asked quietly. "I've made some broth. It's...well, it's not much. But it'll be better than nothing."

"Okay." Ty Lee let herself be gently pulled up until her head and shoulders rested against Azula's body. The former princess took up a steaming bowl and tested the liquid briefly with her own lips before holding it to Ty Lee's. The warm broth trickled into the acrobat's mouth. It didn't have much flavor – Azula had probably made it by boiling their remaining bits of dried meat, Ty Lee thought. She drank it slowly, appreciating its warmth. "You're giving some to Mai, right?" she murmured as Azula laid her back down.

"Maybe. She'll have to grovel if she wants it, though." Azula cast a cool look in the direction of their prisoner. Ty Lee looked, and saw that the young noblewoman had been gagged with a length of rope. She felt a pang of pity, but thought she understood why Azula had done it. Her lip curled a little. _I won't ask 'Zula to take the gag out. It serves Mai right – trying to take her away from me! _A little bit of guilt followed the thought, but she shoved it away.

Ty Lee sighed and let her aching head rest against the rolled cloak that was serving as her pillow. She looked up at the former princess, considering for a moment. "'Zula?"

"Mm?" The golden eyes of Azula looked down at her again.

"I'm gonna sleep again," Ty Lee said softly, reaching up a tentative hand to touch the side of Azula's face. "I want a goodnight kiss."

A soft huff of laughter came from Azula's mouth. She bent down, cupped Ty Lee's chin in her hand, and pressed her lips gently against hers. Ty Lee put her arms around Azula's shoulders, pulling her closer. When the kiss finally broke, the little acrobat nestled her head against the side of Azula's neck with a happy sigh. "Don't leave me," she whispered. "Promise."

"I already did," Azula said patiently. "I'm not going anywhere." She kissed her again, just a small touch against the acrobat's round cheek. "Sleep now. I'll still be here when you wake up." Ty Lee smiled and closed her eyes, releasing her grip. She felt Azula tucking her makeshift blanket up under her chin. Despite the lingering pain in her head, Ty Lee fell asleep with a soft sigh of satisfaction.


	31. Chapter 31

Dawn had broken, and things were stirring in the fugitives' little camp. Azula was blowing on the embers of their fire, trying to build it into a big enough blaze to boil water for tea. Mai was bound with her back against a suitable rock formation, still gagged with rope. Ty Lee lay quietly watching Azula; she was still unable to sit up without being overpowered by nausea and vertigo. Her brow was wrinkled. "Are you sure we shouldn't at least try to get closer to Gaoling today, 'Zula?" she murmured.

Azula glanced at her. "And how would we do that if you can't even stand up, Ty?" she asked quietly. "I can't exactly carry you, you know."

"I don't know," Ty Lee said meekly. "I could try to walk a little."

"No." Azula fixed her with a stern look before resuming her attempts to revive their fire. "You're hurt, and I'm not going to have you get injured even worse just because we tried to push you too hard. That would be stupidity."

"But," the little acrobat whispered, "aren't we out of food?"

"Let me worry about that. You rest." The former princess finally succeeded in coaxing the coals back to full flame. "I might be a bloody cripple, but I'm not completely useless," she muttered, filling their cooking pot with water and setting it over the freshly-glowing embers.

Ty Lee looked at her for a moment in silence. "I never said that, 'Zula," she said softly. "I've never even meant that."

"You don't have to. It's the truth." Azula favored the fire with an acrid smile. "But I think I can still find us something edible, even if I can't defend myself when I'm attacked." She stabbed viciously at the coals with a stick. Then, tossing the stick into the flames with a sigh, she hugged her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them.

The little acrobat considered this statement. Her brow wrinkled again. "Hey...what happened to that last soldier guy after he knocked me out, anyway? - And all the rest of them?"

Azula cast her a sidelong glance. "Like I said," she murmured, "I'm not completely useless. I do have a knife."

There was a long silence as Ty Lee processed this. _Wow. There were twelve guys. Eleven of 'em couldn't even move. And she actually killed...wow. _She gazed at the licking flames of the campfire. It wasn't that she'd never had a hand in any killing before – she'd been one of Azula's elite fighters in the war, after all. But there was still something kind of...well, kind of cold-blooded about cutting the throats of eleven paralyzed people, even if they _were _soldiers that had been trying to take them out. Ty Lee frowned a little, then winced as the movement sent a shock of pain through her throbbing head. She let her eyes close. _But I guess I don't really have any better ideas, _she admitted to herself. _We couldn't have let them go – they'd either have hunted us down again, or told a whole bunch of other people exactly where we were. And it's not like we have enough rope to tie them _all_ up. Stupid complicated world._

After a while, Azula got the tea brewed, and knelt down to help Ty Lee sit up and drink it. The little acrobat sipped it quietly, her head nestled in the crook of Azula's elbow. The former princess had been much gentler with her since her injury; it had almost been worth it, Ty Lee thought. She lived for these moments of tenderness that Azula so rarely gave her.

When the tea was gone, Azula laid her back down. "I'm going to go and see if I can find us something edible," she said. "You'll be all right for a while by yourself, Ty?" The acrobat smiled weakly. "Okay. You just rest, then. Maybe sleep, if you can. I'll find us something to eat." Azula stooped down to give Ty Lee's cheek a quick kiss. Then she got up and strolled over to where Mai was sitting. "And maybe I'll even let you have some, if you beg hard enough," the former princess sneered. The captive glared at her, but couldn't respond because of the rope between her teeth. Azula smirked maliciously and gave the gag a good, hard tweak. "Are you regretting using that silver tongue of yours now, Mai?" she asked sweetly. "I'll bet you are." She bent to check the knots that held the young noblewoman captive. With this done, Azula turned away. "I'll be back when I've found food, Ty Lee," she said calmly. The gymnast watched as the former princess limped away.

Ty Lee turned her gaze down to where Mai was. The assassin was sitting quietly, her head bowed. The long, uneven fringe of her black hair obscured most of her face, but she seemed miserable. Ty Lee wondered if the girl was missing Zuko. Another little pang of guilt nagged at her. _I really should ask Azula to take out that gag, _she thought. _It can't be very comfortable._ ...But then, would Mai try to persuade Azula to leave again if the gag was removed? She felt a faint panic. _If Azula leaves, she won't have any protection. She'll die alone. I can't let that happen!_ Ty Lee sighed and closed her eyes, pushing the issue away. She was tired, and her head ached. _Whatever. I'm just going to sleep._

She dozed, off and on, for what felt like a long time. It felt strange to be sleeping when the sun was shining down on her. Once, Ty Lee tried to sit up, just to see if she could. It still made her very dizzy. She thought that maybe it wasn't as bad as it had been before, though. She rested her spinning head again, shutting her eyes. The daylight was almost blinding. _Where's Azula? I wish she'd come back._ Ty Lee let herself drift back into sleep.

When she woke again, Ty Lee found herself half sitting up, her head and shoulders supported by a pair of slender arms. She opened her eyes groggily. Azula was sitting with her back against the rock wall of the canyon, her legs out in front of her. She'd managed to draw Ty Lee up nearly into her lap; the acrobat's head rested against her chest. Blinking slowly, Ty Lee lifted one hand and laid it on Azula's arm. "'Zula?" she whispered. "How long have you been back?"

"Maybe half an hour." The girl looked down at her quietly. "I didn't want to wake you," she murmured, stroking the side of her face. "You looked peaceful."

Ty Lee yawned. "Did you find anything?"

"A bit." Azula shrugged one shoulder – the one not supporting the little acrobat's head. "Some roots, and I found a little grove of trees that had nuts and some wild plums. Better than nothing." She drew her fingertips through Ty Lee's hair. "The roots are roasting now. We can eat them in another half-hour, I think. Do you want to try a plum while we're waiting?"

With another yawn, Ty Lee looked up at her. "I don't know. Would you have to get up to get it?"

"Yes." Azula raised a brow.

"Then I don't want one." Ty Lee cuddled up against the slim form of her princess and held her with both arms, full of the simple joy of possession. She heard Azula chuckle a bit. "You were out walking, right?" Azula made a soft sound of agreement. "Are your ankles hurting? Do you need someone to rub them for you?"

The former princess shook her head sternly. "Never mind that. Relax." They fell silent. Azula resumed threading her fingers through Ty Lee's hair. Her amber eyes lingered on Ty Lee's face, studying it. The look was oddly intense, as if she were committing the girl's features to memory. Ty Lee gazed back, her eyes happily moving over the lean, aristocratic face she had fallen in love with. At length Azula sighed and looked over at the fire. "I think supper's ready," she said quietly. "I'll go get you something. You want that plum, now?"

"No. Just supper." Ty Lee pouted a bit as the former princess moved away. But then again, she _was _hungry. She watched lazily as Azula used a stick to pull a blackened root from the coals and put it into a bowl. After a minute or two of preparation, Azula returned to Ty Lee's side and fed her the roasted root. It tasted a bit like a sweet potato. She ate her own supper afterward.

When they had both eaten, Azula resumed her seat against the rocky cliff. Ty Lee shivered with happiness as she snuggled against her again, resting her ear against her chest. She closed her eyes as she felt Azula's arms encircle her. The former princess held her silently for a while; then Ty Lee heard her sigh. "Ty," she said quietly, "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" the little acrobat murmured. She was just starting to feel drowsy again, lulled by the soft sounds of Azula's breathing and her beating heart. Ty Lee yawned and peered up at her with a sleepy smile. Her smile froze a bit as she saw the look on Azula's face; the amber eyes were narrowed, and the pink lips were pressed together in something like pain. "What...what's wrong, 'Zula?" she whispered, her brow creasing. "Are you hurt?"

"No." The former princess laid her fingers gently over Ty Lee's lips. "I want you to be quiet and listen to me. Don't talk. Understand?" Though her words were harsh, her tone was still soft, almost tender. In growing bewilderment, Ty Lee gave a slow nod of acceptance. Azula's eyes searched hers. "I did some thinking while I was gone today. And I think that Mai's right." Ty Lee's eyes widened; the fingers pressed a little harder against her mouth, reminding her of her promise. Her throat began to constrict. "The longer I stay here," Azula said quietly, "the more danger I put you in. You won't be able to travel for at least a few more days. They'll find us before then. If I'm still here when they do, they'll kill us both. But if I go...if I leave you under Mai's protection..."

A whimpering sob broke from Ty Lee's mouth. She clung to Azula, burying her face in the front of the girl's shirt as hot tears began to squeeze from between her tight-shut lids. She felt the hand of the former princess rest gently on the back of her head, but the quiet voice didn't waver. "Mai can probably save your life," Azula said. "My brother listens to her, Ty Lee. She can save you."

Ty Lee could stay silent no longer. "They'll kill you!" she sobbed out. "They'll find you, 'Zula. There won't be anybody to protect you."

"It's okay." The slim hand against the acrobat's head stroked her. "At least then one of us will survive."

"Azula, _no." _Ty Lee's fists clenched on handfuls of the girl's shirt.

"Ty. It's all right." Azula slipped her fingers under Ty Lee's chin and raised it so she could look into her face. Her golden eyes were dry. "It's all right," she said again, patiently. "You've protected me until now. I'd have been dead weeks ago if you hadn't. Now it's my turn to protect you." She brushed the tears from Ty Lee's cheeks. "Mai will take good care of you. I know she will. She likes you."

"This is my fault. If I'd been more careful, I wouldn't have gotten hurt. It's all my fault!"

"No, it isn't. Don't be ridiculous." The former princess shook her head. She put her fingers against Ty Lee's lips again before the girl could protest. "Listen to me." The intensity was back in her gaze as she searched Ty Lee's face. "This is my decision. My staying here would just put both of us at greater risk. I'd be a rotten general if I did a thing like that, and...well, I can't do it."

The little acrobat tried to pull herself up. Dizziness made her flounder, and Azula caught her before she could fall. "You promised," Ty Lee sobbed through her teeth, turning her face away. "You promised that you wouldn't leave me!"

"I know." Azula laid her back on the ground. Her lips pressed together as she looked down at her. "Chalk it up as one last lie, I suppose. It's not like I've never told you one before." Ty Lee stared up at her in pain and disbelief. With a sigh, Azula turned away. "I'm going to go untie Mai."

_This can't be happening! _Ty Lee wanted to scream and cry, and pummel Azula, and kiss her and beg – no, plead with her not to go. Her head was throbbing with every beat of her heart. She buried her face in her arm as a dry, racking sob shook her. It sent a shock of agony through her temples. Ty Lee lay still, breathing painfully. _This is just a bad dream, _she told herself. _A horrible, horrible dream..._

There was a quiet murmur of voices. Then gentle hands were on her, and she was drawn up into Azula's arms again. Ty Lee shivered against Azula's warmth. "Before I go," the black-haired girl murmured, "I'm going to make you a promise, Ty Lee. And I mean this one." Ty Lee closed her eyes. "If somehow it turns out that I was wrong...if the gods should decide to take pity, and by some miracle I live through all of this..," the little acrobat gave a whimpering sob, "...If that should happen, then I promise you that I'll come and I'll find you. All right?"

Ty Lee was not comforted. She wrapped both her arms tightly around Azula's middle. "Don't leave me," she whispered. "Azula, please, don't. I love you. I don't want you to die! Please, don't go."

"I have to." Azula bent her head down to kiss Ty Lee's mouth. Her eyes were still dry, but Ty Lee felt her inhale sharply. "Be good for Mai, all right?" The little acrobat sobbed out her name, tightening her grip. Azula's lips hovered by her ear. "I'm sorry." Ty Lee shuddered. Another soft little kiss brushed her cheek. "Goodbye, Ty." The former princess disengaged herself with an effort. Poor Ty Lee couldn't even watch her go – she buried her aching head in her arms and wept as if her heart would break.

She cried for a long time before her strength finally gave out. Then she lay still, her breath still shuddering in the aftermath of her grief. Darkness was falling; the flames of the campfire crackled and danced. Ty Lee wondered how they could still look so cheerful. Then movement caught her eye. Looking down past her own legs, she saw that Mai was sitting only a few feet away, watching her quietly. Catching her eye, the assassin inclined her head. "Hey," she said gravely.

A second earlier, Ty Lee would have thought that she couldn't feel any more emotion than she already did. She would have been wrong. A wave of fury crashed over her. "You," she snarled, trying to pull herself farther away from her. "This is all your fault. _You_ told her to go!" Mai said nothing – her expression didn't change. "It's all _your fault!"_

"If it makes you feel better to blame me, go ahead." Mai shrugged one shoulder. "We both know it's not true." She began to play with something, spinning it through her fingers with idle grace. Ty Lee saw with a faint shock that it was the knife Azula had carried on her belt. "Are you still hungry? There's a few of those roots left, and a little fruit."

"No," Ty Lee said sulkily.

"Suit yourself." Mai sank her teeth into a plum, without pausing in her casual twirling of the blade.

Ty Lee wondered if the display of the knife meant anything. With Mai, it was hard to tell. _Guess I'll find out in a minute. _The little acrobat rubbed her throbbing temples. She was still angry. "So I guess I'm your prisoner now, huh?"

Mai paused in mid-bite, her narrow eyes flicking to rest on Ty Lee's. The whirling knife stopped its gyrations. There was a pause; then the taller girl finished her mouthful, and set the blade down carefully on a stone. "I suppose that's technically true," she said quietly. "You are a fugitive from Fire Nation justice, and you are in my custody."

"So what are you gonna do with me?" Ty Lee's lip curled defiantly to hide her sudden fear.

The assassin gave her a cool look. "_You," _she said gravely, "have been spending too much time with a certain paranoid ex-princess. You know very well that I don't mean you harm, and I never have. Even if you were blind enough to cast your lot in with her, and stupid enough to take me prisoner on her say-so, you probably kept her from killing me a couple of times. I don't forget. You might be a complete idiot, but you're still my friend." Ty Lee's jaw quivered. "To answer your question, I'm probably going to try to carry you to Gaoling. It might take a while, but I could use more exercise, anyway. And maybe we'll find a waterbender there to fix that dent in your thick skull."

"Okay." The little acrobat looked away. "But I'm still mad at you."

"Fair enough. You can be mad all you want." Mai got up, retrieved the cloak that had been serving as Ty Lee's blanket, and spread it over her. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day," she said quietly.

Despite her weariness, Ty Lee lay awake for a long time. She couldn't help but think about the defenseless Azula, now limping alone through miles of hostile wilderness, with Fire Nation soldiers converging on her like packs of wolves. She remembered what Azula had said as she held her for the last time. _If the gods should decide to take pity..._ Ty Lee closed her eyes as a lump rose in her throat.

_Oh, Agni, have mercy._


	32. Chapter 32

Mai had been up for a while already, putting out the fire and packing their meager belongings together. The wounded acrobat watched moodily, taking note of some of the items. _Knife. Firestone. What's left of last night's supper. _Her lip quivered. _Azula didn't take anything except the cloak she was wearing. She left us everything else. _Ty Lee closed her eyes. _She expects to die._

"There." Mai calmly slung the pack over her shoulders and looked down at Ty Lee. "I guess we should head out. You ready to go?" The injured girl shrugged halfheartedly. Mai didn't comment. She stooped down, hooking her arms beneath Ty Lee's shoulders and knees, and lifted her up, cloak and all. The little acrobat huddled against her and shut her eyes as they started up the canyon. She didn't think she'd ever been so helpless and miserable in her entire life, and that included when she'd been locked up in the Boiling Rock. She shivered. "You cold, Ty?" Mai asked quietly.

"No." The little acrobat sniffled. She _was_ cold, but she knew there was nothing they could do about that – she already had their only cloak. Mai raised a brow, but said nothing. Both girls fell silent.

It was slow going, as Mai picked her way through the rough terrain. Ty Lee tried to sleep. It was hard; as gentle as the young noblewoman was trying to be, Ty Lee's head still got jostled every now and then, and it hurt. She stayed quiet for a while, gritting her teeth bravely. But then Mai stumbled a bit, and yet another jolt shot through her aching temples. Ty Lee groaned.

With a sigh, Mai stopped. "I'm sorry, Ty. Let's stop for a bit. I think I need to rest, anyway." Ty Lee couldn't restrain a sigh of relief when Mai laid her down. The assassin took a long swig from their water bottle and sat down beside her. "You thirsty?" she asked, offering Ty Lee the bottle.

"Not really." Ty Lee turned her head away.

Mai looked down at her in silence for a moment. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

Ty Lee closed her eyes. "No."

"Oh, come on, Ty Lee. We've known each other since we were in diapers. I think I can tell when you're angry." Mai's lips curved. "At least admit it."

"I don't want to fight with you," the acrobat said wearily. "I'm tired. Just leave me alone."

"So who wants to fight? I just asked if you were mad." Mai slipped their bottle back into her pack. "We'll have to stick close to the river, I think. At this rate, I'll have drunk all our water by this afternoon," she mused. Then she glanced at the sun. "I should probably be able to carry you until lunchtime. If I can keep that up, we should be in Gaoling by this time the day after tomorrow." She looked down at Ty Lee again. "A nice warm bed and a square meal sounds pretty good to me. Don't you think?"

The acrobat's lip curled. "I bet it'd sound pretty good to Azula, too."

Mai gave a sigh that was heavy with exasperation. "Ty..." She stopped and looked away, her jaw tightening a fraction. There was silence for a while. "I think I've rested enough," Mai said finally, her voice calm. "Let's try this again. Ready to go?"

"Fine," Ty Lee said bitterly. "It's not like I have a choice." Without comment, the young monarch knelt down to pick up the injured girl again. She was careful to pillow Ty Lee's head on the softer part of her shoulder this time. The little acrobat noticed this; guilt made her stomach ache. _This isn't Mai's fault. None of it is. I shouldn't treat her like this, especially not when she's being so kind to me. _She shivered and squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened. For a while she said nothing, just listening to the sighing of the wind and the soft crunching of Mai's footsteps on the rocky ground. Finally, Ty Lee took a deep breath. "Mai?"

The quiet girl looked down at her. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday," Ty Lee said in a small voice. "I didn't mean it."

"Heh. I knew that." The hint of a smile curved Mai's mouth. "You've had a hard time these last few days. You were just blowing off steam."

"I miss her, Mai." Ty Lee shut her eyes again.

"I know." The young woman's voice was gentle. "I wish there was a way that this could have ended more happily for you. To be honest, I'm just glad to have a chance to pull you away from the fire. I was really starting to think I was going to have to watch you die with her. - Unless Azula had slit my throat before I had the chance, of course."

Ty Lee shook her head. "I'd never have let her hurt you."

"Ty." Mai smiled a bit. "I do appreciate the sentiment. But if Azula had really decided to kill me, I doubt you would have been able to stop her. I mean, she had a knife to my throat while you were fighting off those soldiers. She could have killed me easily." Ty Lee remembered having paralyzed Mai before that fight, and winced.

They made fairly good time that day. It clouded over in the evening; Mai found them a campsite that was sheltered by an overhanging lip of rock.

By morning, it was pouring rain. Mai warmed their remaining roots and gave one to Ty Lee. The little acrobat ate in gloomy silence, her eyes on the soaked landscape. "Well, we won't have to worry about sunstroke," Mai commented drily, taking a mouthful of her own breakfast. "Should be an interesting walk today."

"Yeah." Ty Lee sighed, pushing the rest of her root away. "I don't want this. You can have it." Mai glanced at her, shrugged, and took it.

Their journey that day was a miserable one. The rain pelted down on them until the early evening. Neither of the girls was dressed for it. By the time they took shelter for the night, they were both still drenched and shivering. It took Mai quite a while to find enough dry wood to build a fire, but she finally managed it. They stripped off their wet clothes and hung them to dry as they huddled near the flames. All they had left to eat were a few plums and a handful of nuts, but Ty Lee was glad enough to eat what they had.

It was a great comfort to dress again and snuggle down under a cloak freshly-dried by the friendly fire. The weary acrobat was tired of travel. _I'll be happy to see Gaoling, even if I have to go to jail when I get there, _she thought. _At least then I can rest and eat._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The walls of Gaoling were in sight, looming on the horizon. The dirt road that led to its gates was bustling with people. Ty Lee turned her eyes away from the sight, resting her head against Mai's shoulder with a sigh. She closed her eyes and pulled the cloak up tighter around her shoulders, shivering in the chill of the autumn air. Her breath made a small puff of white that dissipated soon afterward.

Mai looked down at her. "Hang in there, Ty," she said. "A little less than an hour, and we'll be eating hot soup in the Fire Nation embassy, and I'll finally be getting some rest." She hefted the girl's body a little more firmly against herself. Her narrow eyes sparkled a bit. "Before we do this again, I think you'd better lose some weight."

Ty Lee didn't smile. She hadn't smiled once, in fact, in the three days since Azula had parted ways with them. "So in another hour I'll be in prison."

"Not necessarily. I might be able to work something out." Mai picked her way carefully down a small incline before finally making the well-populated road. "I'm not completely heartless, you know, whatever certain people might think." Ty Lee didn't respond. She closed her eyes again, wondering whether Azula was still alive and, if she was, what she might be doing right now. Now that most of her anger was gone, she felt empty, like a balloon that had lost most of its air. _I wonder if she misses me, too?_

Gradually, the silence of the wilderness gave way to the hum of the city. Ty Lee watched listlessly as they passed through the gates of Gaoling, beginning down the street that led toward the bustling heart of the city. "If I remember right," Mai said calmly, "the Fire Nation embassy is just off the town square. They should be glad to see us, don't you think?"

"They'll be glad to see _you." _Ty Lee shivered again as fingers of cold air slithered down her collar. "They'll just be disappointed that I'm not Azula."

"I'll work things out for you," Mai said patiently. "I promised that I would, and I will. The only thing that I'm not – _ah!" _Ty Lee felt the assassin's body jerk. Her eyes flew open just in time to find herself falling. There was no time to catch herself; Ty Lee braced herself for impact. Strangely, the ground caught her softly, as if she'd fallen onto a pillow. An instant later, bands of stone shot out of the earth to pin her arms and legs down. The injured acrobat lay gasping in surprise and bewilderment, looking around. Her confused gaze fell on a slim figure standing nearby, just dropping out of an earthbending stance.

The figure was a familiar one. She was slightly-built, although a good foot taller than she had been just a year ago. Her slender limbs were knotted with powerful muscles. She wore a light-colored top and loose-legged green trousers; her feet were bare. She had white skin and faintly pink cheeks – her face was as delicate as a china doll's. Her shaggy, black hair hung down over eyes of a pale and clouded green, like white jade. Ty Lee's mouth fell open. "_Toph!"_

The Avatar's earthbending master thrust her thumbs into her belt and stood with her feet apart, grinning. "Boy, you just never know who you're going to meet when you go to visit your folks," she said. "I heard all sorts of rumors that the old fearsome threesome was back in action, and here I run into two of you. Where's Princess Fruitcake?"

"Azula's not with us." Mai's voice was calm, if a little stiff – a thing made admirable by the fact that her legs had been swallowed by the earth up to her knees. "She decided to go off on her own after Ty Lee got hurt."

"Is that so? Too bad. I hear Prince Sparky has a pretty hefty price on her head." Toph rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right – _Fire Lord _Sparky." Her head turned in Mai's direction, her blind eyes focusing on her with uncanny accuracy. Ty Lee shivered a bit. She knew that Toph could somehow "see" through her earthbending, but it was still kind of unnerving sometimes. "I might owe you an apology for bending you first and asking questions later, your highness, but there seemed to be some official doubt about whether you were a hostage or an accomplice. I figured I'd play it safe."

"I was a prisoner," Mai said coldly. "Thank you for asking. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to stand up properly again." Without a word, Toph kicked her heel at the ground. The earth that held Mai's legs split; the assassin stumbled a bit, then quickly regained her poise. "Thank you, Lady Bei Fong."

"Just Toph, please. I hate needless formalities." The earthbender's clouded gaze turned to where Ty Lee lay. "And how about you, Bouncy Butt? Did the whacko run off with you, too?"

Anger and resentment burned in Ty Lee's throat at this, but she choked it down, and managed to mask it with a smile. "No," she said, in as cheerful a tone as she could manage. "I guess I might've helped Azula get away, you know. But I really don't see how it was that big a deal -"

"Look, Bubbles, I didn't just fall off the cabbage cart." Toph's brows had been lowering steadily as Ty Lee spoke, and she now scowled outright. "Cut the crap and answer the question. You were Azula's accomplice, right?"

The smile dropped from Ty Lee's face. Coldly, the acrobat looked away. "Yes."

"All right, then." The earthbender looked back to Mai. "So where are you headed, Fire Lady Mai? Maybe I can help you out."

"I was heading for the Fire Nation embassy," Mai said quietly. "My...my husband will want to know I'm all right..."

Toph snorted, waving a hand. "That hovel? It's nowhere near what you're used to. Come with me instead. I've got a little place not far from here, and I think it'll be more to your liking. I'll send one of my servants over to the embassy to tell them where you are." Mai hesitated, but Toph didn't wait for an answer. She snapped her fingers, and the stone bonds around Ty Lee's limbs came loose. "Let me carry the circus freak for you. I'm probably stronger than you are, anyway." The little acrobat squirmed a bit as the earthbender's powerful arms scooped her up, but she was too weak to really struggle. "Come on," Toph said cheerfully, turning. "This way, your highness. I'll show you a little Earth Kingdom hospitality."

Ty Lee wasn't sure whether this turn of events was a good one or not. She rather liked Toph, in a way, although she often got the sense that she annoyed the earthbender. _Well, I guess this might postpone my going to prison for a while_, she thought with a sigh. _So maybe it'll be a good thing. _Toph led the way down a side street, then turned up the front walkway of what looked like a humble little house. She shot a grin in Mai's direction. "Don't panic, Fire Lady Mai. It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." Ty Lee wondered what this meant as Toph stepped through the front door.

Almost immediately, the ground dropped away beneath their feet, and they plunged downward! Ty Lee uttered a little squeak of alarm, shutting her eyes and clutching involuntarily at Toph's tunic. After a moment or two, she became aware of light. Tentatively, she opened one eye.

They were standing in the front entrance of what looked like a palace. The vaulted ceiling towered thirty or forty feet above their heads. What looked like windows and skylights at first glance were revealed, on closer inspection, as glowing formations of colored crystals – mostly white ones. Ty Lee marveled. She'd once seen the glowing green crystals under Lake Laogai, in the headquarters of the Dai Li, but she'd never thought to ask if there were other colors. The effect was fairly spectacular.

Servants appeared. Toph jerked her head in Mai's direction. "We have a guest," she said. "This is Fire Lady Mai, of the Fire Nation. Set her up in the best guest room. Find her some decent clothes to wear, run her a hot bath, and give her anything else she wants. You know the drill. - Anything in particular you'd like for supper tonight, your highness?" she added, cocking her head toward Mai.

"Anything's good. As long as it isn't roasted roots." Mai's face was impassive.

"Well, you heard the lady. Now take care of her." Toph flicked her blind gaze down to Ty Lee. "Let's get you set up, too, circus freak. You're probably a bit on the hungry and tired side, too. And I hear you hurt yourself." The acrobat shivered, but said nothing. The cold seemed to have penetrated through to her very bones. She couldn't help but feel a little rush of fear as Mai was ushered away. "Hey, relax." She looked up; Toph was smiling a bit. "You'll see her again in a few hours, once the two of you've been taken care of. Don't panic." She didn't wait for a response; her pale green eyes turned to another nearby servant. "Here, take Lady Ty Lee and find her some quarters. Same orders as for Fire Lady Mai. And one of you send for a doctor – someone needs to take a look at her."

Ty Lee squirmed. "I can...I can walk," she protested feebly.

Toph's eyes flickered, but she shrugged. "Whatever you like." She set Ty Lee down on her feet with surprising gentleness. A silent servant girl appeared, offering her arm. The acrobat was more than happy to lean on it.

However set on walking she was, Ty Lee was very happy when they finally reached the room Toph was giving her. It was furnished simply and elegantly in greens and earth tones, but Ty Lee had no eyes for anything but the bed. She lay down on it with an audible groan of relief. "We will run you a bath, Lady Ty Lee," one of the servants murmured. The little acrobat just closed her eyes. _I wonder how long this'll last? Toph said she was telling the Fire Nation embassy that we're here. They'll want me in chains the minute they know where I am. _Ty Lee burrowed her head deeper into her pillow and gave a little sigh of pleasure at its softness. _Well, I can't control that. Better enjoy this while I can._

The bath was warm and soothing, and the clothes they gave her were clean and smelled fresh, like newly-cut grass. Ty Lee sat quietly as her hair was brushed out. An older woman handled this; her fingers were skilled, carefully avoiding the ugly bruising around the acrobat's right eye and temple. "There," the servant said at length. "Now, let's get you lying down until the doctor gets here, shall we, my lady?" Ty Lee sighed softly as the blankets were tucked around her. She felt really warm and comfortable for the first time since leaving Ember Island. She closed her eyes and let herself doze.


	33. Chapter 33

She was wakened a while later by the sound of the door opening. Toph entered and paused, standing by the bed. Her face was angled away from her, as if she were listening closely. "Sorry to wake you," the earthbender said calmly. "The healer should be here in an hour, and I wanted to have a chat with you before that happens. Also, we're going to have to shackle you to a bedpost. Your fellow countrymen insisted on some form of restraint."

Ty Lee shrugged. "I'm not surprised," she murmured. "Actually, I figured they'd burst in here and drag me off to prison."

"They did suggest that, as a matter of fact." Toph grinned and shrugged. "This is a compromise – just until the Big Blaze, Zuko, shows up. He'll probably have some other ideas." The chain she held up was short, and it didn't look especially heavy. "Let's have a wrist, then, Ty Lee." The little acrobat quietly held up her left arm. She watched as Toph fastened the restraint around her wrist, and then to the bedpost. "There. That should keep your people from breaking down my front door for a while."

_She's probably just saved me from a bit of jail time. _Ty Lee rested her chained hand on the blankets. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome." Toph pulled up a chair and straddled it, resting her chin on the back as she folded her arms loosely around it. "So spill it, Bubbles. What's the real story? I know the official version from the flyers Zuko's been pasting all over the planet, and Mai said it was more or less true. But she might be biased, of course."

Ty Lee eyed her warily. "Real story of what?"

"Oh, don't play stupid. You know what." Toph shot her a lopsided grin. "Tell you what. I'll recite the official version of events, and you can tell me if it's true or not." She paused. "A few weeks ago, Azula masterminded some plot to off Zuko. Right?"

"Right." Ty Lee nodded solemnly.

"And you busted her out of jail before she could get the axe for it."

"Yes." The little acrobat bit her lip.

"So you two hid out on Ember Island for a bit. Then you took Mai prisoner, swiped a balloon and high-tailed it for the Earth Kingdom when Zuko was right on top of you." Toph rested her chin on one hand.

Ty Lee sighed deeply, turning her head away. "Yeah."

"Huh. So the official version's accurate, then. It's not often that happens." The blind earthbender tapped a finger against her bottom lip. "Then maybe you can tell me something else. I get that you and Princess Fruitcake are pretty tight. But, even if I don't know you that personally, you don't strike me as someone who'd normally rationalize the kinds of things that she did. So I'm curious. Why would you do all this for her, Ty Lee?"

This was really none of Toph's business at all, but it was a relief for Ty Lee to be able to explain it to someone who wasn't personally involved. "Well, I've been visiting Azula in prison all along," she said softly. "She...isn't as horrible as people think she is. And I felt awful for her. She was really suffering, and...well, seeing her just rotting in that little cage by herself, as sick as she was..."

"Prison?" Toph interrupted, her brow wrinkling. "Cage? What do you mean?"

Ty Lee blinked, her train of thought derailed. "Uh...well, prison. You know, with the locks and the chains and...guards. And a cage. Um, with bars and...stuff."

"Really? That's interesting. She wasn't in some kind of a mental hospital?" Toph frowned.

"N-no." The little acrobat was a bit perplexed by the question. "She never was in any kind of a hospital at all. They took her prisoner right after the Agni Kai, and then the Avatar took her firebending so she wouldn't hurt people, because she was raving and having kind of violent fits..." Toph nodded, still frowning just a bit. "And after that, Zuko had her thrown into the deepest cell in the prison tower in the capital. She was in this little cage that she couldn't stand up in for the longest time...they kept her chained, too. I went to see her every day, but she wouldn't talk to me for half a year. And after that she didn't always know who I was...it was only after Mai and I got Zuko to move her to a nicer cell that she started to come around."

Toph rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Hm. Now _that's _interesting. The official story didn't..." There was a pause. "I think I interrupted you before. You were telling me why you did all of this."

"Yeah. I guess I was." Ty Lee closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Her head was beginning to ache again. "Anyway, I felt bad for her. And then, once we got her moved to the nicer cell, Azula started telling me things and...well, and opening up to me. And I told her I loved her, and it made her cry. I guess I really thought she had changed. So when Mai told me about the assassin, and said they were going to execute Azula for it, I...I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let them hurt her!" Tears stung Ty Lee's eyes. "So I rescued her. And I found out later that she'd actually done it, but...I still couldn't leave her." She sucked in a shuddering breath. "I love her."

The blind earthbender was nodding gravely. "That doesn't surprise me," she said. "I thought I felt that vibe off you two." She sat up. "So Mai told me you got hurt defending Azula against a bunch of your own guys. And then Fiery Britches took off on you." Ty Lee nodded miserably. "Why'd she go off on her own if she can't firebend?"

"It was my fault. She did it to save me." Ty Lee's voice was choked. "She figured they'd kill us both if they found her with me. And now she's out there by herself...she can't fight, she can't even walk properly. It's not right! It's just not...it's not right. She should at least have a chance to defend herself."

"Hey, come on. No drama queen stuff." Toph gave another crooked grin. "Zuko's guys are after you, of course, but the killing thing can't be a given. Especially now that Mai's safe."

Ty Lee's jaw clenched. "It is a given, Lady Bei Fong," she said softly. "The soldiers had orders to shoot to kill before we ever took Mai. If they find Azula, she's dead."

Toph's face darkened. She seemed troubled. "Really." She was silent for a moment. "You know, Ty Lee, I can't say I ever liked Fiery Britches much – I never knew her at all. And if even half the stories about her are true, then she probably deserves to die. But I don't like being lied to, and if Sparky thinks his being Fire Lord makes that okay, then he's got another thing coming. And I don't like the idea of his sending out armies to cut down a defenseless girl like an animal, even if it _is_ Her Royal Dottiness. And whatever else that woman might have been, she was a warrior and a damn good general once, and that should at least count for something." She paused again. "You say she can't walk properly?"

"Yeah. It was the shackles they had her in," Ty Lee said. "She's got arthritis pretty bad. It's in her wrists, too. A healer looked at her once, but he said it was chronic and he couldn't fix it."

The earthbender cursed softly. "Do you mean to tell me Zuko's having his soldiers hunt her down like that, and she's not only powerless, she's _crippled?"_ The little acrobat nodded. "Does he know this?"

"I doubt it. He knows she can't bend, of course. But he only went to see her once after she was put in prison, and he never actually talked to her then." Ty Lee sighed. "Mai talked him into that visit. That was just before he had Azula moved into the better cell."

"So Mai's known Azula was in prison this whole time, too?" Toph's blind eyes narrowed.

Hesitantly, Ty Lee nodded. "Yes."

"Well. In that case, I think I need to go and have a chat with Mistress Melancholy." The earthbender got up, tossing her chair aside carelessly. "I'll leave you to your napping, Bubbles. If you want anything, just ask one of the servants. You might be in chains, but you're not my prisoner – you're still my guest. Deal?"

"Okay. Thank you." Ty Lee watched as Toph strode casually from the room. Then she closed her eyes and tried to rest.

It wasn't long before the door opened again, admitting a servant and a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman, followed closely by a young boy. The woman moved immediately to the bedside. "Good afternoon, Miss," she said, politely ignoring the shackle on Ty Lee's wrist. "My name is Amaya, of the Northern Water Tribe. I'm a healer. I hear you've hit your head."

"Yeah." Ty Lee looked up as Amaya leaned over her. The woman looked kindly. She reminded Ty Lee a bit of Katara, the Avatar's girlfriend – her eyes were the same striking shade of blue.

"I'm just going to take a look first, and see how bad it is," Amaya said, smiling a bit. "You just relax, my dear. It shouldn't hurt." The little acrobat closed her eyes as the woman's dark fingers began to gently probe at her right cheekbone. They slid carefully around her eye socket; Ty Lee sucked in her breath and clenched her fists on handfuls of blanket as a sharp pain followed. "Oooh. That smarted, didn't it? I'm sorry, dear." Amaya frowned a bit, brushing her fingers more gently over the bone. "Mm. I think you've got a bit of a break here. We'd better check a little higher, too – you have a lot of bruising on your forehead." Ty Lee braced herself, but the healer's fingers were more careful this time, and no twinges followed. "Yes. Yes, I'm afraid you've fractured your skull. You've probably had quite a headache since you hurt yourself, haven't you?"

"Yes." Ty Lee admitted, nodding a little.

Amaya turned from her to the boy she'd brought with her. "Kan, give me a bit of fireweed and a pinch of the velvet leaf." She drew a skin of water from her side and uncorked it, drawing some of its contents into a bowl. "These herbs will dull the pain and help more blood flow to the area," she explained, with a quiet glance at Ty Lee. Her fingers deftly crushed and sprinkled the leaves into the bowl she'd just filled. The strange scent of them – fresh and sharp – wafted into the air. "Now," Amaya said, bending over Ty Lee again, "hold still, my dear. I'll see what I can do about fixing that nasty break for you. This might hurt a bit."

The gymnast closed her eyes, bit her lip, and gripped at the bedclothes. She felt a cool tingling as the water sank into her skin, and then the gentle pressure of the waterbender's fingers on her head and face. The dull aching of her skull suddenly intensified; Ty Lee twitched a little, groaning through her teeth. "Easy does it," Amaya murmured. "Just a little bit more...just have to ease these bones together properly, my dear. Don't move..." And then, abruptly, the pain eased. The little acrobat breathed deeply as her muscles relaxed. "That's it. Now they're in the right place again. I bet that feels a lot better, doesn't it?" Ty Lee opened her eyes to see the healer smiling down at her. "Less pain now?"

"Much less," the girl murmured, with a faint smile in return. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Amaya gently brushed back Ty Lee's short hair to examine the healing cut on her forehead. "Let me do a little work on that bruising, and then I think we'll be done for today," she said kindly. She drew some plain water from her bottle and guided it against Ty Lee's face. The tingling dampness danced over the gymnast's skin again. It felt good. "There we go." The healer smiled again and patted Ty Lee's arm. "That should help. You'll probably still sleep a fair bit for a day or two, and you might get a bit of dizziness when you move quickly, but that should pass."

As the Water Tribe woman was packing up her things, the servant – who had been watching the proceedings in discreet silence – stepped forward. "Lady Ty Lee," he said, "Lady Bei Fong and Fire Lady Mai send word that they will be joining you here after dinner. I was instructed to bring you your food then."

"All right. Thank you." Ty Lee watched as the healer and her young assistant left, closely followed by the servant. She wondered what Toph had planned; she suspected it would probably involve some in-depth questioning on the subject of Azula. The thought sent a pang through her. Ty Lee sighed deeply and shut her eyes. She lingered on the memory of lying in Azula's arms, trying to picture her face in her mind – the high cheekbones; the clean, sharp line of the jaw; the expressive golden eyes. The little acrobat sighed again and gazed sadly up at the canopy above her head.

_I miss you, Azula._


	34. Chapter 34

The sound of the door opening shook Ty Lee from her reverie. She had just been thinking deeply about all that had happened in the last few weeks – everything, from her rescue of Azula to the moment's inattention that had cost her so dearly in the fight against their pursuers. She'd decided, quite firmly, that she didn't regret rescuing the former princess from torture and death, despite the fact that Azula had later admitted her guilt. She did, however, regret having betrayed Mai so badly. - Twice, even! She wasn't quite sure how she could have rescued Azula without doing so, but she couldn't help thinking that they could have gotten off Ember Island without taking the young woman hostage. _But then I would have been injured out there, and Azula wouldn't have been able to help me, _she thought. _I'd probably have frozen to death, or something. _She shifted fretfully in her bed.

- But there was the door. Ty Lee looked up to see the tall, stately form of the Fire Lady entering. Mai's face was more or less impassive, but there was a certain tightness around her lips that told the acrobat that she was angry. She was closely followed by the much-shorter Toph, who had an air of purpose about her. The milky eyes of the earthbender turned toward Ty Lee. "Hey, Bubbles. You feeling a little better?"

Ty Lee nodded. "It doesn't hurt anymore," she said quietly. Her gaze turned timidly to Mai, but the young noblewoman was pointedly not looking at her. _Uh, oh. _She looked back at Toph. "What...what's going on?"

"Nothing much. The three of us are going to have a little question-and-answer period, since you're up to it now." Toph glanced at Mai coolly. "Go ahead and have a seat, Fire Lady."

"I'll stand, thank you." Mai tucked her hands into the sleeves of her robe and stood tall, looking down the bridge of her nose at her hostess.

Toph grinned. There was something not entirely good-humored about it. "Suit yourself, Mai. I'm sitting down." She caught at the chair she had been sitting in the last time she'd come in, dragged it to a position about midway between her two guests, and straddled it with a businesslike manner. "So, let's hash this out. True or false, your royal highness – Azula's been rotting in prison since the day Zuko took her down in that duel."

"I frankly don't see that this is any of the Earth Kingdom's business," Mai said coldly.

The earthbender snorted. "And since when do I speak for the Earth Kingdom? I'm asking as myself, the Avatar's earthbending master – one of the people who're supposed to be keeping the peace, et cetera, et cetera, and who've been bloody well lied to, if what I'm hearing is right. You can answer my questions now, or we can wait and bring Aang and Katara into this once Zuko's here. Much rougher road that way. Which would you prefer?"

Mai's jaw clenched slightly. "Azula was in prison," she said. "But I don't see why that should concern you at all. Wasn't she your mortal enemy?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Toph retorted. "The point is, your little cuddle-pup told Aang that he'd put his sister into some kind of a mental ward, and she was getting help, and blah blah blah. Which tells _me_ that he thought Aang might object to whatever he was _really_ doing to Azula, and decided to damn well _lie_ to him about it. And _you, _Miss Chirpy Charmer, might as well have been standing there lying with him, because _you_ knew the truth, and didn't say anything."

The young noblewoman was the very picture of affronted dignity. "As you should know, Lady Bei Fong, there are times in international politics when the truth simply isn't practicable," she said coldly. "I'm not going to tell people things that Zuko's decided shouldn't be spread. Besides, if my husband chose to punish Azula for the things she's done, it's none of anyone else's business. She is Fire Nation, and Zuko is the ruler of the Fire Nation."

"Quit changing the subject." Toph rose from her seat, her childlike face scrunched into a scowl. "I don't do all that political crap. I've already told you what pisses me off here. You've been bloody well lying to us. Lying, to _us! _Last time I checked, we were supposed to be your allies, mighty Fire Lady. We're supposed to be able to trust each other." Mai said nothing, but her eyes blazed. Ty Lee, sitting silently on her bed, bit her lip nervously. "Now," Toph went on, thrusting her face mere inches from Mai's, "tell me this, Fire Lady. Ty Lee told me that Azula's ankles are so messed up she can't even walk properly. Isn't that true?"

"Yes." The word was clipped.

"And all those soldiers who're out there looking for her have orders to kill her wherever they find her, don't they?"

"So what if they do?" Mai snapped. "Azula's hardly earned anything better. She tried to murder him! Why should he treat her any differently?"

"Because I'd like to think that we didn't all fight and sacrifice and work so hard to bring down Ozai, just to replace him with a guy who'd hunt a helpless, crippled woman in the wilderness, and then cut her down as if she was nothing more than a koala-sheep," Toph snarled. "You know damn well that it's the principle I'm objecting to here! If Zuko wants to axe Fiery Britches, fine. I'll be the first to admit she isn't exactly Citizen of the Year. But he could at least have the decency to arrest her and have her executed properly!"

Ty Lee coughed a bit. "Um...this wasn't really Mai's fault," she said nervously. "She did help me get Azula a bigger cage and a cleaner cell..."

Toph turned her head abruptly, angling her ear toward the bed. There was a long pause. Finally, the earthbender took a step back. Her voice, when she spoke again, was calmer. "Okay. So maybe you're a bit less at fault than Sparky. But this is not all right, Mai."

"I don't have to stand here and take this," the young monarch said angrily. "Azula had precious little stock with me to begin with, and she lost all of that back when she tried to kill my husband. Then she took me prisoner, dragged me out here to the middle of nowhere, slapped me around, and threatened to slit my throat more than once. And you dare to drag me in here and berate me like a child?"

"Point taken," Toph said. "Like I said, I'd be the last person to claim that Azula doesn't deserve to die. She probably does. What I'm objecting to is the lie, and to the killing of an unarmed human being out in the boondocks." There was a short silence. "All right. We're probably not going to get any further with this until Sparky gets here, so let's leave it for now. What's the deal with Ty Lee, then? I take it you're not going to let her loose in the woods and hunt _her _down?"

Mai's narrow eyes flicked to Ty Lee for a moment. The little acrobat lowered her head, fidgeting uncomfortably. "No," Mai said shortly. "But frankly, even if Azula might be partly your business, Toph – which I don't concede – what happens to Ty Lee is _not._"

"No, it isn't. Not so long as she's actually being given fair trial and whatnot." Toph shrugged. "I'm not interested in getting involved in your fancy-schmancy court proceedings, or whatever. Do what you want. I'm just worried about what it means if we can't trust you."

Ty Lee saw Mai's face color a bit. She knew the young woman had a strong sense of honor, and that Toph's words were offending her deeply. "I'm...I'm sure that Mai never meant to lie to anybody," she blurted. "She wouldn't ever do that on purpose, Toph!"

The young Fire Lady gave a soft sigh and glanced at Ty Lee. The look was almost pitying. "I'd really rather not discuss this any further in the absence of my husband," was all she said, turning her gaze back to the blind earthbender. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to address your concerns when he arrives here."

"Oh, he'll address 'em, all right," Toph said grimly. "Sparky sent word asking me to look for you, Mai. He wanted me to work with his soldiers. Now, if I'd done that, and you'd still been with Azula, those soldiers would have murdered her right there, and I would have been partly responsible for it. Zuko doesn't get to tell me something's a rescue mission when it's really a death hunt." Mai said nothing, and Toph gave a grimace. "Yeah, whatever. We'll talk about it tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"If you wish," Mai said coldly. "As I said, Zuko will address your concerns."

There came a soft knock at the door in the ensuing pause, and a servant entered, bearing a covered tray. Toph's blind eyes turned to Mai. "Well, that'll be supper for Bubbles. I'm sure three's a crowd, and all that. You ladies enjoy yourselves." She turned away. "Just don't forget what I said, Mai. I didn't bust my butt to oust Ozai just to throw in another manipulating tyrant. Be sure your little Snuggles isn't forgetting that."

There was silence for a while after the door closed behind Toph. Ty Lee fidgeted a bit. "Mai?" she said finally. "Are...are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mai didn't meet her gaze. The young aristocrat took the tray from the bedside table where the servant had left it and laid it on Ty Lee's lap. "Here. Eat. You'll feel a lot better after."

The food was good, if more greasy and less spicy than Fire Nation dishes. The little acrobat ate hungrily. Mai sat by her bedside, silent and aloof. She seemed to be deep in thought. After the edge was taken off Ty Lee's appetite, she looked at the young woman tentatively. "Mai? You...you didn't really deliberately...well, lie to the Avatar and his friends. Did you?"

The assassin sighed and glanced at her briefly. "I never directly lied to them, no. But I knew what Zuko told them." Ty Lee's face fell. "Look, why don't you just let me worry about that? I think you've got enough to be concerned about with your own record of wrongs at the moment. You're hardly in any position to stand in judgment over _me."_

"I wasn't standing in anything," Ty Lee said in a small voice. "I just wondered if..."

"Then drop it." Mai leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest and crossing her legs at the ankles. It was an attitude she had often adopted before being crowned empress of the Fire Nation. "If that mouth that walks wasn't the Avatar's friend..." The gymnast bit her lip, but said nothing. She nibbled on the edge of a dumpling, instead.

After a while, Ty Lee set down her chopsticks. "Zuko's coming here tomorrow. Right?" Mai glanced at her, then jerked her black head in a nod. "What's going to happen to me, Mai?"

The girl's narrow eyes flickered. "I can't say for sure," she said quietly. "I won't be able to shield you from everything, Ty. I don't even think that I should. You'll probably be taken back to the Fire Nation and sentenced there. And I would imagine that will involve some prison time, or maybe exile. Again, though, I don't know. It depends on Zuko, and how lenient I can get him to be."

An idea suddenly dawned on Ty Lee's mind. She gave Mai an innocent smile. "Seems like kind of a waste of time and energy to drag me all the way back there just to exile me," she said. "Maybe you could get Zuko to just exile me now. Then it'll be done with, right? And neither of you will have to bother with me anymore. Then you could think about other stuff."

Mai looked at her sharply. Ty Lee simply smiled, opening her eyes wide. "That might be an option," the assassin said calmly. "And you'd go straight off to look for Azula again, wouldn't you?"

"Maybe. Or I might go and join the circus. I liked that."

Mai was not impressed. "_You," _she said firmly, "are not fooling anyone." She rose to her feet. "I'm tired. Hauling you all over the Earth Kingdom is a bit more exertion than I'm used to. If you don't mind, Ty, I think I'm going to go to bed."

"I don't mind," Ty Lee said quietly. "I'm kinda tired, too."

The young noblewoman headed for the door. As she went through it, she paused and looked back at the little acrobat. "I'll think about the exile thing." Ty Lee smiled a bit. "Good night."

"Good night, Mai." Ty Lee's smile grew wider as the door closed.


	35. Chapter 35

Ty Lee was nervous.

No, scratch that. Ty Lee was scared.

She was sitting on the side of her bed, swinging her legs and watching the door. Zuko was here – she felt sure. She'd heard some kind of commotion an hour or so before, and she was pretty certain that this had been the Fire Lord's arrival. _He probably went to Mai first, _she thought. _And then, once he's been with Mai...he'll deal with me. _Ty Lee bit her lips, mentally rehearsing everything she thought she needed to remember. _Call him by his title – don't call him Zuko. I better bow down, too. Luckily I've had a lot of practice with that. _She glanced worriedly at the door again. Even though Mai had promised to speak to him for her, she had her doubts. And regardless, he was going to be angry.

Zuko was scary when he was angry.

She wished that Azula was here. It was easy for her to be brave when the former princess was around; she never even had to think about it then. But Azula was gone – spirits only knew where she was right now – and Ty Lee, unfortunately, now had plenty of time to think. She knew what happened to traitors. She knew, too, what happened to those who dared to raise a hand against the Fire Lord, or his family. And whatever Mai said, Ty Lee had certainly laid a hand on her. Twice, in fact. _And everyone knows Zuko's got a temper, _Ty Lee thought nervously. _What if he just won't listen to Mai? _She fidgeted.

Then she heard heavy footsteps – from more than one set of feet. Her eyes widened and flicked to the door again. She'd heard that sound before. The last time had been when she and Azula had huddled together in terror in the beach house on Ember Island...

A moment later, the door swung open. Four Fire Nation soldiers in full armor entered. Without a word, three of them moved to surround the bed on which Ty Lee was sitting. The fourth stopped a few feet away, drawing himself up with military briskness. "Lady Ty Lee, we are here to escort you to the Fire Nation embassy, by order of the Fire Lord," he said brusquely. "You will come quietly."

Before Ty Lee could really process his words, she found herself being hauled bodily off the bed and forced to her knees. She gave a faint gasp of surprise as her right arm was twisted up behind her. The chain that held her left wrist released; Ty Lee squirmed a bit as her arms were cuffed behind her back, and the grip on the back of her neck tightened until she groaned in pain. "You will come quietly," the captain repeated, more harshly this time. "If you resist, we will use force."

"I'm n-not resisting," Ty Lee whimpered. There was no response. A hood was suddenly thrown over her head, blocking out the light. She was pulled to her feet and marched forward. Blind and confused, Ty Lee stumbled between her guards. _What's going on? What are they going to do to me?_ Her foot caught on something, and she fell. They caught her and dragged her like a sack of grain for several yards before she finally managed to regain her footing. The sounds around her changed – they were outside, now. She could hear the busy hum of the city. The rapid pace of the soldiers didn't change. Ty Lee tripped and fell again, and was dragged again. After several attempts to get back up failed, she gave up and let them half-drag, half-carry her.

Again the sounds changed, and she knew she was inside once more. _This'll be the embassy. _Ty Lee struggled hard, and managed to get on her feet. The floor felt smooth beneath the soles of her shoes. She heard a door open somewhere ahead. Then she was abruptly released. A sharp blow stuck her on the base of her spine, felling her to her knees! The hood was jerked off her head. Before her eyes could adjust to the light, a strong hand clamped around the scruff of Ty Lee's neck and forced her to bow low, until her forehead pressed against the floor. The hand released, but she didn't move. Wide-eyed, she stared at the smooth stone under her face, watching as her breath misted on its glossy surface.

There was silence for a while, perhaps twenty seconds. Ty Lee bit her lips; fear made a hard lump in the pit of her stomach. Then she heard a woman's voice – one soft and husky, and very familiar. "You're right in everything you say. I'm not trying to excuse any of it."

"Well, that's how it sounded to me." That was a man's voice, deep and authoritative – and angry. Ty Lee recognized it as the Fire Lord's, and shuddered with fear. "She aided the escape of a dangerous criminal and traitor to the Fire Nation. She not only assaulted you, Mai – the queen of the Nation - she actually kidnapped you! Nine of my soldiers are dead, and she helped kill them. And by your own admission, she didn't surrender or release you, so she's completely unrepentant."

"I'm not denying any of that. But she did save my life, Zuko..."

"...Which she wouldn't have had to do at all if she hadn't taken you as a hostage in the first place," Zuko snapped. "Enough. I'm not discussing this right now." There was a moment's pause. "You may rise, prisoner."

Slowly, Ty Lee sat up on her heels. She raised her eyes timidly to look around. She was kneeling in a war room, before a raised dais; Zuko was sitting regally on a cushion above her, with Mai sitting quietly to his right. He was glaring down at Ty Lee. His face was a cold mask of anger. Shivering, Ty Lee quickly lowered her gaze again. Her mouth felt dry. "First things first," he said. "We'll make this official. Ty Lee, you are stripped of your title and rank, and all of the rights, privileges and responsibilities connected with them." She blinked down at her own knees, her brow creasing a little. "Now, to business. You stand accused of high treason, assaulting and kidnapping the empress of the Fire Nation, the theft of a war balloon belonging to the Fire Nation military, nine counts of murder, and aligning yourself with my sister, which is a capital offense in itself. Now, Ty Lee – give me one good reason why I shouldn't order my soldiers to take you out and execute you right now."

_Not good. Not good, not good, not good at all. _Ty Lee could feel herself trembling, and the palms of her hands felt slick. "I d-didn't kill anybody," she faltered.

Zuko's expression darkened even more. "Did you or did you not attack nine members of the Fire Nation military and paralyze them?"

"Eight of them, yes...but..."

"And did my sister then proceed to cut their throats?" he demanded.

"Well...yes, b-but..."

"And did you or did you not continue in your allegiance to her, despite the fact that you knew that she had killed them?"

Tears were running down Ty Lee's cheeks, now. "Yes, my lord," she whispered.

The Fire Lord made a curt gesture. "Then as far as we are concerned, you are every bit as culpable in their deaths as Azula is. Now, answer the question, prisoner. Why should I let you live even one instant longer?"

Quivering like a leaf, Ty Lee turned desperate eyes to Mai. The young queen met her gaze for a brief moment; then, quietly, Mai looked away. Ty Lee's dismay deepened. With a sob, the prisoner bowed down again, as low to the floor as she could. "Please don't kill me!" she whimpered. She knew that she sounded pitiful, but she couldn't help it.

There was silence for a while. At length, Zuko spoke again. "Don't you dare to think for one instant that your former association with my wife shields you from anything," he said coldly. "You are every bit as eligible for the noose as my sister. Is that clear, Ty Lee?"

"Yes, my lord." Ty Lee shivered and waited helplessly.

"I'm going to let you live for a while longer, only because I think you can help us find Azula. But as far as I am concerned, you are living on borrowed time. Think very carefully about that for the next little while. Understood?"

The prisoner nodded her head, her forehead brushing against the cold marble. She felt some measure of relief, although the part about helping him find Azula worried her. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Lock her up," he said curtly. "We'll question her later." The hood dropped over Ty Lee's face, plunging her back into darkness. This time the soldiers made no pretense of letting her walk. They hauled her bodily from the room, kicking at her feet when she tried to stand. Ty Lee was dragged straight for a while, and then down a number of stairs. The air grew colder. She heard the clanging of metal, and then she was thrown down. The back of her head struck against something hard with a sharp crack; she saw stars, and pain knifed through her abused skull. Vaguely, she felt shackles being fastened around her legs. Someone said something, but the words sounded strange and foreign, and she couldn't make sense of them. Metal clanged, and more words were spoken. Ty Lee felt the hood being pulled away. She fought the darkness for a few moments longer; then, laying her head down again, she quietly passed out.


	36. Chapter 36

Ty Lee lay quietly, staring up at the stone ceiling through the bars. She'd come to a while earlier with a splitting headache. Her arms were still bound behind her back, and her ankles were shackled. Her bleary gaze had soon made out the fact that she was confined in a cage rather like the one that had originally confined Azula. It was long enough for her to stretch out at full length, and just tall enough that she could sit up without hitting her head. She'd squirmed a bit, trying to sit up, but had finally given up the attempt. Now she was just...staring. And thinking, and drifting into troubled sleep every now and then.

Zuko had been much harsher than she had expected. She'd known he would be angry, of course, but she hadn't anticipated his threatening her with immediate death. She wondered how much of what he'd said was true, and how much was posturing. And Mai had simply looked away...was the young woman going to abandon her to her husband's tender mercies? Ty Lee sighed, closing her eyes. She let herself doze off again.

Someone was saying her name. Ty Lee half-woke, wincing at the throbbing of her head. "Come on, Ty," a woman's voice said impatiently. "Talk to me. Quit just lying there like you're dead." The prisoner opened her eyes to find Mai crouching on the other side of the bars. She blinked as Mai looked down at her. "You all right?" she asked gruffly.

"Kind of," Ty Lee murmured, squinting. "I hit my head when they threw me in here."

"That's all you need - to have those addled brains of yours scrambled again." The words sounded rough, but Ty Lee had known Mai long enough to hear the affection behind them. She gave the young queen a faint smile. "Thought I'd come down and tell you I haven't forgotten you," Mai said. "I think I can convince him not to have you executed. You'll probably be doing a lot of jail time, though - or exile. I'm not sure. Zuko thinks I'm too biased to have any say in your case at the moment."

The captive squirmed, and managed to sit herself up. Her eyes met her visitor's. "Do you really think that, Mai?" she asked softly. "Or are you just telling me you can save me to make me feel better?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Ty." Mai's brows lowered a fraction. "I can get him to spare your life. But like I said, I don't think I can shield you from anything else."

"And you think I deserve it, anyway." Ty Lee looked away abruptly. "I'm sorry. Pretend I didn't say that, okay?"

"I do think you deserve something. Just not death." The young queen shrugged quietly. "You have to understand that I don't have only my own feelings to think about here, Ty Lee. I'm the Fire Lord's wife. I have the throne and the people of the Fire Nation to think of, too. I have a responsibility."

"Yeah. And I'm such a massive threat to our national security," Ty Lee said bitterly.

"Azula is. You know how these things work." Mai rose to her feet. "I'm going to go talk to him again. I'll keep you posted on where things stand. All right?"

"Okay." The captive sighed, resting her forehead against the bars, and watched as the noblewoman made her way from her prison.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mai made her way along the short corridor of holding cells, and then up the steps that led to the main floor of the Fire Nation embassy. She was deep in thought. _This is a delicate line I'm walking. Is Zuko right? Maybe I am letting my own feelings interfere with my judgment in Ty Lee's case. If Ty were anyone else, would I be asking for mercy? _Her narrow eyes moved absently over the hall ahead as she made for the staircase to the second floor. _Maybe. But I can't just let her get executed. She was a complete idiot, but I really don't think she meant any harm. And whatever Zuko might say, I don't believe she ever meant for those soldiers to get killed. Besides, she saved my life at the Boiling Rock, and probably at least twice while I was their hostage. That's got to be worth something._ She mounted the stairs.

Her timing was impeccable. As she approached the double doors of the meeting room, they swung open, and five generals in full dress uniform filed out. She spotted Zuko inside, speaking with a sixth military man. He spotted her; she thought his brows lowered a bit as he turned his attention back to the general. _He probably knows what I want to talk to him about. Looks as if he doesn't like it. _Mai's lips twitched a bit. _Well, too bad for him._

When the general finally took his leave, Mai moved forward regally. Zuko, who was examining the papers that were spread out on the table, looked up. He eyed her coolly. "I hope you don't intend to discuss Ty Lee's case with me again."

Calmly, Mai inclined her head. "As a matter of fact, I do."

The Fire Lord scowled and turned his eyes back to the heavily-marked map of the Earth Kingdom that he had been studying. "I thought I'd made myself clear about that, Mai. The matter isn't open for discussion."

"You did mention that." Mai tucked her hands into her wide sleeves and gazed at him impassively. "But I'm going to talk to you about it, anyway." Zuko shot her an irritated frown, but didn't say anything. "That whole scene this afternoon was unnecessary, you know. Your soldiers practically beat her up. She wasn't resisting."

"I was making a point. I wanted her to be aware of exactly where she stands," he said coldly. "If she wants to cast her lot in with Azula's, she can taste some of Azula's medicine. I figured that might make her think more carefully about her options."

Mai sat down beside him, in the chair the general had just vacated. "You and I both know that Azula and Ty Lee are two very different cases," she said quietly. "Your sister is a threat to our throne, even if just as a symbol. That's why you locked her up in the first place, and that's why she has to die now. But Ty Lee isn't like that. She's just a sentimental, impulsive, easily-manipulated girl. She doesn't deserve to die for that."

Zuko sat back and looked at his wife. "I don't buy Ty Lee's little 'helpless and silly' routine for one instant," he retorted. "In her own way, she can be nearly as dangerous as my sister. She's intelligent; just look at the way she broke Azula out of that prison tower. She's formidable; more than once, she's taken down dozens of enemy fighters by herself. She's relentless; Azula would never have chosen her if she wasn't. Ty Lee can't fool me by giggling or crocodile tears."

With a sigh, Mai nodded. "That's all true, Zuko. Ty Lee is all those things. But the fact remains that she has no malice, and she really didn't intend to harm anyone in all of this. She loves Azula. Because she loves her, she was willing to do something that looked like high treason to save her life. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

There was a moment of silence as Zuko processed this. "What you did for me and what Ty Lee has done are totally different," he said. "Azula is a felon and traitor to the state."

"So were you," Mai pointed out. "In fact, what I did was worse, because I actually considered you a traitor when I acted. Ty Lee thought Azula was innocent. She was wrong, of course - but she thought it."

"She's a dangerous criminal!" Zuko said angrily. "She helped Azula to kill nine of our soldiers, and three of the Earth Kingdom's. And if she hadn't been wounded in that fight, she and Azula would still have you. Who knows what they would have done to you?"

"Also true," Mai said quietly. "And I've never argued that Ty Lee shouldn't be punished, Zuko. She should be. You should send her to prison for a long time, or better yet, exile her from the Fire Nation. But let her live, Zuko. She doesn't deserve to die." He scowled. Mai leaned forward, laying a long, white finger against his lips before he could retort. "Zuko, listen," she said softly. "I'm saying this as Mai - your wife. There aren't very many people in my life that I care about. Really, there's only two. The biggest is you, of course. The other is Ty Lee." She met his gaze. "Let her live, Zuko. Please."

He looked down. His anger seemed to have evaporated, but he hadn't softened much. "As Fire Lord, my first responsibility is to my people," he said grimly. "To protect them, I have to protect my throne. Azula is a threat to that, and she has to die. If Ty Lee stands between me and her, then Ty Lee will die with her. I will do whatever is necessary to see that my sister goes down."

"I understand that. And I don't disagree," Mai said. "But Ty isn't standing between you and Azula, Zuko. She's in prison. She's helpless. There's no reason for you to have her executed now."

Zuko shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Mai. Ty Lee _does_ stand between Azula and I. She knows where Azula is, and I intend to get that out of her by whatever means necessary. The Fire Nation comes before everything else."

"But, Zuko -"

"Enough." He met her gaze sternly. "She'll either give Azula up willingly, or she'll give her up by force. There is no third option. If she cooperates, maybe I'll consider sparing Ty Lee's life. But that's the only way it's happening."

Mai took a deep breath, reluctantly letting it go. _He's bending a little, at least. That's probably all I'm going to get out of him at present. At least I know he's not going to have Ty killed right away. _"Okay," she said, shifting gears. "Then I need to talk to you about the meeting tomorrow morning. You know that Toph's furious."

"Toph." Zuko sighed and sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes in disgust. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She's upset we didn't fill her in on what was going on with my sister - that much I understand. Tell me why she would think that was any of her business?"

"Something about the Avatar's people being our allies, and our having lied to them," Mai shrugged. "She also has a problem with your having ordered your soldiers to kill Azula on sight. I think Toph considers that dishonorable, or some such thing."

"Azula isn't honorable," Zuko growled. He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Toph mentioned that she was bringing in Aang. You and I had better get our stories straight. We want to keep him from interfering, so I suppose it'll have to be the moral high ground angle."

Mai smirked a little. "Don't worry too much about him," she said placidly. "He's bringing his waterbender with him."

"Ah." The Fire Lord's lips curved noticeably. "Well, we should get our stories straight, anyway. Even if Katara does hate Azula - which should take care of Aang - Toph might still get a little belligerent. I'd rather that we presented a united front."

"Of course." Mai's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It's important that we keep Toph's support, if we can. She might have refused any official leadership position in the Earth Kingdom, but she's still very well-respected here, and the Bei Fong clan is powerful. We need to keep them on-side. Let's keep our story as close to the whole truth as we can. I have it on good authority that she can't always detect half-lies."

"Right." Zuko considered this for a moment. "Well, the truth is that Azula has to be destroyed because she's a threat to the throne. How close to that can we get without having them figure all of that out?"

"It's easy. We just have to spin it as close as we can to what they want to hear." Mai ticked off her points on her fingers. "One - Toph already doesn't like Azula, and Aang is wary of her even without his water-wench's input. Two - the lot of them are far more concerned with the peace between the nations than with your sister's fate. And three - Toph, Aang and Katara are all very concerned with issues of justice. So spin it that way. Tell them what Azula's done, and emphasize the killing of those soldiers. Tell them that Azula threatens the stability of the Fire Nation and strengthens the position of the war hawks, which she does. Tell them that you don't want Azula to suffer, but that she has to be destroyed. And slip in a few subtle reminders that this really is solely a Fire Nation issue." She paused. "Actually, if we play our cards correctly, we might even be able to get them to make some of these points for us."

"Right." Zuko nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"There's something else you should know." Mai hesitated. "Your sister's wrists and ankles are pretty messed up from the shackles, Zuko. She can't walk very well, and she has a lot of trouble using her hands, too."

Zuko swore softly. "Do they know this?"

"Toph does," Mai affirmed quietly. "Ty Lee told her."

"Damn it." He rubbed his forehead. "That plays right into Azula's hands. They'll argue that she's harmless and helpless. We'll have to be ready to meet that. - Maybe if we played up the killing of those soldiers a bit more?"

"Yes, that'll do it. Mention the fact that they were all paralyzed when Azula cut their throats, too. And point out that they held me prisoner for nearly a week." Mai smirked again. "Just be sure to downplay the fact that Azula never could have done that without help."

"That'll do." Zuko smiled at her, his golden eyes gleaming, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I married a brilliant woman."

"Don't you forget it." Mai reached up a pale hand to cup his face as she captured his lips in a tender kiss. "And I married a beautiful, powerful man."

He smiled wider, his eyes meeting hers and softening. She saw it and exulted. _I'll get him to spare Ty Lee, yet. _"I have some work to get done," he said quietly. "Will you still be awake when I come to bed?"

"I'll make a point of it, my lord husband," she said, her husky voice dropping to a purr. She kissed him again, softly, her lips just barely pressing his. "I'll leave you to your work." She rose with deliberate grace and glided from the room. He watched her go; his eyes never strayed from Mai's elegant silhouette until the doors swung closed behind her, hiding her from his view.


	37. Chapter 37

Mai was ready - or, at least, as ready as she could be.

She was dressed in the best of the royal robes that Zuko had brought for her, and her black hair had been carefully wound up on top of her head. The style was similar to that which she'd always worn, except with a single topknot instead of two. The golden hairpin that displayed her rank rested atop her head. Drawing herself up, Mai examined herself in the mirror. At last, satisfied that she looked like the queen that she was, she headed for the door.

Zuko was waiting for her in the short hall outside her room. He gravely offered her his arm, and she took it with a faint smile of greeting. "Do we still have our stories straight?" she murmured.

"We do, and we'd better keep them that way," he said quietly. "My uncle is here."

She abruptly pulled away. "General Iroh is here?" she said sharply. Zuko nodded, his face sober. He looked like a chastened schoolboy. "How did he ever get wind of this meeting? You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Toph invited him, of course," Zuko said in disgust. "They've been thick as thieves ever since my uncle opened his tea shop in Ba Sing Se. I wish he'd stayed there! This complicates things a lot. But there's no help for it now."

"He knows." Mai's mind was racing, going over every possible angle she could think of. "He knew about Azula's being in prison in the first place, and he's more than astute enough to guess the real reason we want her dead. And he might even decide he wants to defend her - he does seem to support the underdog sometimes. Damn...how much do you think he'll say?"

"I don't know. Uncle Iroh's tried to stay out of any dealing in Fire Nation politics, ever since I was crowned Fire Lord. But you never can tell when he'll decide to voice an opinion on something. He just...does things, sometimes." Zuko sighed and started walking. "If we're lucky, he'll limit his comments to tea and Pai Sho and cryptic old sayings."

Her lips tightened. She liked Iroh - she did! - but the old man was always an unknown quantity in political maneuvers.

Mai really hated unknown quantities.

She scanned the meeting room as they entered it. The Avatar was already there. He was dressed in red and yellow robes, and his head was shaved bald; the blue airbending tattoos showed in sharp contrast to his pale skin. His large, mild eyes smiled as he bowed his greeting to Zuko. Beside him was the dark, graceful waterbender, Katara. Her lip was curled in suspicion as she inclined her head. Toph sat at the other end of the table, her bare feet resting carelessly on it, and her hands folded behind her head. Mai shivered in disgust at the sight of the dusty toes. Beside the young earthbending master sat the mild-mannered Iroh. He rose to his feet and bowed politely as the Fire Lord and his wife entered, his round-cheeked face crinkling into a smile. Mai gave a half-bow that acknowledged all of their guests, and then slipped into her chair. Zuko seated himself a moment later.

"Good morning to all of you," the young Fire Lord said courteously. "Thank you for coming. I called this meeting to allay some doubts that have been expressed by Toph on the subject of my sister." His eyes moved to the young earthbender, who was smirking a little. "Maybe you would like to lay out those doubts for us to begin with, Toph?"

"Oh, I'll lay 'em out, all right." Toph got up. She was still slighter than Zuko, and much shorter, but she leaned forward and laid her hands on the table, her blind eyes glittering. "That official story you and the wife spread about what was going on with Azula was a lie, wasn't it? She was never in any hospital. You threw her in prison. Right?"

Zuko was calm. "I did have Azula put in jail, yes. I considered her a threat to the already-unstable security of the Fire Nation."

"That's not the point, Sparky, and you know it." Toph grinned wolfishly. "You lied - that's the point. How are we supposed to trust you if you're going to lie to us, huh?"

Mai saw Zuko shoot a veiled glance in Iroh's direction, and winced inwardly. _Damn it, Zuko, quit acting like such a whipped raccoon-puppy. _"We felt that there were more important things to worry about at the time than Azula's imprisonment," he said tersely. "We had to get the Fire Nation firmly under our control as quickly as possible. If we'd given my father's supporters time to regroup, things could have gotten very ugly. We're still trying to conquer some areas that are under rebel control, as all of you know. And there are still treaties to be negotiated and so on - the peace between the Four Nations is fragile. We wanted to keep Azula out of the way, someplace where none of my father's supporters could get access to her."

"How very prudent of you. And then you lied to us because you figured we wouldn't want to be bothered, I guess?" The earthbender bared her teeth. "Or did you lie because you figured that Aang here might object?"

"We wouldn't know." Mai leaned forward and smiled a little, her voice icy and sweet. "You don't seem to want to let the Avatar get a word in edgewise, Lady Bei Fong." Toph slowly turned her head, fixing Mai with her milky eyes. It was a very dangerous look, but Mai met it coolly. _Go ahead, Toph. Why don't you earthbend me? Undermine yourself._ The silence stretched out, tense and strained.

Aang cleared his throat nervously. "Okay. Well, why don't we all just discuss this, then?" he said, with a significant glance at Toph. The earthbender favored Mai with a cold smile before slowly sitting down. "Zuko, you did let us think Azula was getting help. You even said she would, when you asked me to remove her firebending. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"As I said before," Zuko growled, "I thought we had more important things to worry about. I locked her up to keep her out of trouble. I didn't have her killed or tortured. Most people would say I was far too lenient."

"As a matter of fact," Mai put in, meeting Aang's gaze, "we moved her to a much cleaner and more spacious cell a couple of weeks prior to the attempt on my husband's life. She was being seen by doctors and so on. It isn't as though we just forgot about her."

Toph leaned forward, laying a clenched fist on the table. "Is that so?" she said coolly. "Because Ty Lee told me that you had her locked up in a cage so small she couldn't stand up, and that you had her chained. You wouldn't be lying to us again, now, would you?"

Mai eyed the earthbender with some irritation. _Blast it. Just how much did Ty Lee tell her, anyway? _Zuko cleared his throat. "I admit that a number of security measures were necessary," he said. "Azula was very dangerous, even without her firebending. She was having violent fits. It would take five or six guards to subdue her and chain her down. The cage and the shackles were for her own protection, and the protection of everyone around her. Even Ty Lee would have to admit to that, I'm sure."

"And I don't see why this is anyone's business outside the Fire Nation," Mai said calmly. "Azula was no longer a threat to anyone outside our borders. After that, why should any of you want to interfere with how we deal with our own traitors?"

"Because that isn't the _point, _Fire Lady," Toph snapped impatiently. "It's the _lying. _It's the _lying to your allies. _Kind of a problem, don't you think?"

Zuko threw up his hands. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll apologize to all of you for lying to you about this. Would that make everybody happy?"

There was a pause. At this point Katara, who had been watching and listening with a faint frown, spoke up. "I would hope that you'd apologize, Zuko," she said sharply. "We have to be able to trust each other if we're all going to work together to save the world." Mai narrowly avoided rolling her eyes, and she thought she detected a faint snort of annoyance from Toph. "After all," the waterbender went on, "if we can't even get along with each other, how can we help everybody else learn to get along?"

"All right," Zuko said, a trifle stiffly. "Then I apologize, Avatar Aang, for having lied to you. My sister was actually in prison. Are we done here? Because I have a search to coordinate."

"Oh no, you don't, Sparky," Toph said. She was grinning dangerously again. "What about the fact that all your search parties have orders to kill your sister on sight? Let's talk about that. Do you often hunt down crippled, unarmed, insane people in the Fire Nation?"

Zuko, who had been in the act of rising from his chair, sat down again. He glanced at Mai, then frowned at the young earthbender. "That 'insane cripple' has managed to steal a war balloon and elude hundreds of searchers for over three weeks now," he said coldly. "And she's not harmless – not at all. Twelve men are dead by her hand already. She slit their throats while they were paralyzed."

"And," Mai said calmly, resting one of her hands on his, "Azula held me prisoner for nearly a week. She's hardly helpless."

"Uh huh. Tell me another one." Toph shot Aang a significant glance before turning back to Zuko. _Listen to this, _she seemed to be saying. "Princess Fruitcake had help then, didn't she? The circus freak was with her. Now you've got her in prison, so your sister's alone. Truth – do you really think Azula can defend herself at all?"

"I don't put anything past her," Zuko growled. "We didn't think they could defend against a group of twelve benders, either, and they did. She's unpredictable and dangerous. We have to take Azula out before she has a chance to regain her strength or gain a following."

Katara looked at Aang. "They have a point. Azula's very dangerous."

"No, that's _not_ the point!" Toph broke in, before the Avatar could respond. "Even if she _were _still dangerous, which I don't believe she is, she's still a human being. She can't fight back – she can't even walk, if what the circus freak says is true. Even if she were Ozai himself, the least you could do is arrest her and punish her properly. Or didn't you mean what you said about your vaunted 'reign of mercy and justice,' Sparky? You're starting to remind me a lot of someone else, y'know."

At this, Zuko glared, and even Mai sat up straighter and tightened her jaw. "I am nothing like my father," he snarled. "I've devoted myself to establishing peace amongst the Four Nations. I've released most of the people my father imprisoned. I've established schools and hospitals; I've done everything in my power to ensure that no one in the Fire Nation starves. I am nothing like my father!" He turned his glare to Aang. "Azula is a threat to the security of the Fire Nation, and to the stability of the peace between the Four Nations. I am willing to forego a little protocol to protect that peace and security!"

"_Protocol? _Is that what you call the difference between the judicial system and just torching a defenseless woman in the middle of nowhere?" Toph demanded, rising to her feet again.

"She isn't defenseless," Mai cut in, glowering. "Azula is never defenseless. Anyone who engineers an assassination attempt on the Fire Lord in his own palace while sitting in chains in a dungeon cell can't ever be considered harmless, Toph. She deserves to die. Refute that, if you can!"

"When did I ever say she didn't deserve execution? It's none of my business. That's for you Fire Nation muckety-mucks to decide, I'm sure, Queenie," Toph said coldly. "What I object to is your cutting her down like an animal. Azula was a warrior and a general once, even if she did wind up on the losing side. She deserves to be treated with basic human dignity, just like anybody else. And if you and Fire Lord Firebug here throw your weight around like that, then you _are_ acting just like Ozai, whether you like hearing it or not."

Katara nodded at this. "That's true. You should at least insure that she doesn't suffer, Zuko. It's just the right thing to do."

His face flushed with anger. Mai winced inwardly. _Oh, now his temper's flaring. I hope he doesn't do anything stupid… _"What gives any of you any right to dictate that?" he demanded. "This is a Fire Nation justice issue. I already apologized for the lie, all right? I'm sorry. I won't do it ever again. Now I'm done talking about this!"

Toph pointed accusingly across the table. "This is not done, Zuko," she growled. "Wrong is wrong, whether you're a beggar or a Fire Lord. Right, General Iroh?"

Scowling, Zuko turned to face the old man. "Yes, Uncle Iroh. What do you think?"

There was a long silence. Mai almost held her breath as she watched the old general. Despite his benign appearance, she knew General Iroh was a formidable and brilliant man – he was more than capable of causing them a good deal of trouble. The old man looked blandly from the scowling face of his nephew to the equally-furious face of the blind earthbender. "What do I think?" He smiled and shrugged, holding up his hands. "I think we have come to an impasse. So I propose that we adjourn for tea, and perhaps some lunch. We'll all think more clearly once we've eaten. Especially myself – I am an old man, and old men prefer their comfort." He rose heavily to his feet and bestowed a benificent smile on all of them. His eyes moved to Toph. "Will you lend an old man your arm, Miss Bei Fong?"

The girl snorted, but quickly rose and let him lean on her. Silently, Aang and Katara followed them; the blue eyes of the waterbender rested doubtfully on Zuko and his wife for a moment before she left. Zuko looked at Mai. "Did…did that go well?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'm not sure." Mai frowned after them, thinking on Iroh's words. "I think things only got…postponed."


	38. Chapter 38

The prison was silent, as it almost always was. Ty Lee sat quietly, staring at the floor of her cage. She was thinking about what Zuko had said to her as she had knelt before him a couple of days before. _Borrowed time, he said. I'm living on borrowed time. _She rested her head against the bars. _He must be going to have me executed once he's caught Azula – if he does catch her. _She closed her eyes. _I wonder just how long I've got left?_

The worst thing about prison was the thinking. Ty Lee couldn't seem to stop her own mind. She kept remembering things – going over her own actions with a fine-toothed comb, trying to figure out just where she had gone wrong. _If I'd only just listened to Mai to begin with…if I'd only paid attention to that last soldier, and not gotten hurt…if I only could have woken up a bit sooner, and stopped Azula from killing them…_ Ty Lee sighed, trying to remember what Azula's arms had felt like when she'd held her, and the softness of her lips against hers. _I don't care what you've done, 'Zula. I'd give anything just to see you one more time._

The sound of a bolt being drawn made the prisoner look up. Her fearful gaze turned to relief as her eyes fell on Mai's impassive face. "Mai," she said softly, sitting up straighter. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Don't be too glad," the noblewoman said ruefully. "He's not planning on having you killed right away or anything, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting him to bend. It's going to take me some time to make him see reason, I think. I can't really protect you in the meantime."

"That's okay, Mai," Ty Lee murmured. "It's just good that you're trying, and that you come to see me. It gets really lonely down here."

The young queen crouched down to Ty Lee's level. "Zuko just told me he's having you questioned in a couple of hours," she said quietly. "It probably isn't going to be very pleasant, Ty Lee. I just thought that I'd warn you."

Ty Lee's gray eyes widened. Her heart sank as she took in Mai's grim expression. "Are…are they going to torture me?" she faltered.

"No. I don't think they'll go that far," Mai said. "But it might get really unpleasant if you don't cooperate."

The little acrobat felt sick. She wriggled her arms in their manacles. "Cooperate?" she said weakly. "What do they want me to do?"

Mai looked away. "They'll be asking you about a lot of things," she said. "They'll probably press you for details about everything that's happened. But mainly, they'll probably want to know where Azula is. Zuko thinks you know. He told me so."

Ty Lee looked at her in dismay. "But…Mai, I don't know where she is. She left so that I wouldn't know." The young noblewoman said nothing. "Mai, what am I supposed to do?"

"Just tell them the truth," Mai said quietly. "Tell them the truth, and don't try to fight them. That's your best chance right now. You do that, and I'll keep working on Zuko. That's all we can do."

"Okay." The prisoner bit her lips. "Mai?" The girl's narrow eyes met hers. "Will you stay until they come for me?"

The Fire Lady hesitated, glancing back at the cell door. She sighed a bit. "I can't stay for the full two hours," she said softly. "There's a…well, a meeting I have to go to. But I'll stay a little while longer, if you like, Ty."

"Thanks," Ty Lee whispered, looking down. "I guess I'm just not very brave."

Mai knelt down gracefully on the stone floor, her hands folded in the proper Fire Nation fashion. The gesture was effortless, worn smooth by long repetition. "You're not a coward," she said. "Even Azula didn't want to be alone. And whatever else she might be, no one can accuse her of being a coward."

"No. I guess not." The little acrobat sighed. "I wonder why things never turn out the way that you hoped they would?" The young queen looked at her, raising a brow slightly. "I used to read these stories as a kid," Ty Lee explained softly. "You know…the hero would go through all this stuff, and have to kill a dragon or something, but always got the girl, and they always lived happily ever after."

The assassin shrugged. "This is real life, Ty. It's not some kid story."

"I know that," Ty Lee said mournfully. "But does that really have to mean that no one ever lives happily ever after?"

Mai's golden eyes flickered a bit. "That's just not how life works," she said. "If you always make the best possible decisions, sometimes you luck out, and sometimes you don't. I know that's how it worked out for me."

"So that's what this is, then – bad luck?" The prisoner tugged on her cuffs again.

The young queen shook her head. "No. This is bad decisions and consequences," she said quietly. "You do remember what I said to you on that war balloon, and later in the cave, right?"

Ty Lee looked at her, her gray eyes misting. "Mai, you're not really going to say 'I told you so' to me, are you?"

"No, Ty. But you did ask." Mai sighed at the look on Ty Lee's face. "Look, we'll just drop the subject, okay? I'm…lousy at this comforting thing."

"Yeah. You kind of are." The little acrobat looked away. Two big tears escaped and trickled down her face, cutting furrows through the grime on her cheeks.

"Oh, for…" Mai gave an exasperated groan. "Ty Lee, please don't start crying. You know I'm horrible at this! Look, do you…do you need me to hug you?"

Timidly, Ty Lee looked at her. She knew very well how much Mai hated this, but…slowly, she nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. Awkwardly, Mai reached through the bars and put her arms around the prisoner. Ty Lee leaned into it, resting her head against Mai's shoulder. She could feel how tense the young woman was, but it was comforting, anyway. "I'm scared, Mai."

"Of course you are. Anybody would be," the assassin said gruffly. "I'm still working on him. I'm sure I can get him to spare your life, Ty."

Ty Lee shivered. "I wish Azula was here," she whispered. "I mean, I guess I don't really, because then she'd get killed. But I miss her."

Mai pulled back a little, catching Ty Lee's eyes sternly with her own. "Don't talk like that," she said sharply. "I'm serious, Ty Lee! With me it doesn't matter, but that's exactly the kind of thing that'll get you in worse trouble." The gymnast flinched. "I'm saying this for your own good," Mai said soberly. "Don't even mention Azula's name if you don't have to, and don't ever talk about her like that. Understand?"

"Yes." The little acrobat huddled against Mai again. The young queen sighed deeply, but didn't let go of her. Both of them fell silent.

After a long while, Mai finally released her. "I have to go now, Ty," she said. "I promise you that I'll come and see you again once they've finished questioning you. All right?"

"Okay." Ty Lee nodded miserably. "How long until they come for me?"

"A little over an hour." Mai rose to her feet, then paused, looking down at her. Her narrow eyes smiled. "It'll be all right, Ty Lee."

"Sure." The captive watched mournfully as the young queen left. The door closed behind her; Ty Lee was alone again. She curled herself tightly up in the corner of her cage and waited helplessly.

A memory flashed through her mind – of Azula, huddled into a ball in the far corner of the cage where she had spent so many months. Ty Lee suddenly understood why the former princess must have been doing this. _She was like me. She was scared. She just wanted to disappear. _Tears stung Ty Lee's eyes. _If I ever see Azula again, I'll tell her that I understand… _She rested her head against the bars again, fixed her eyes on the impervious cell door, and waited.


	39. Chapter 39

When they came, it was very like when Ty Lee had been hauled from Toph's home to the Fire Nation embassy. The cell door swung open, admitting two burly soldiers. Without speaking a word, they strode to Ty Lee's cage. The padlock snapped open. The prisoner flinched as their hands fell on her, dragging her out. Remembering what Mai had told her, Ty Lee was careful not to struggle. The cloth hood was thrown over her head. Without further ceremony, she was marched from her cell.

They didn't take her far. She walked for maybe a minute or two; then she was pushed to stand with her back against a wall. She could hear various voices around her, and pick out snatches of conversation, but she couldn't really tell what was going on. She stood quietly with her head bowed – her stomach was twisting and clenching in dread. _What are they going to do? Oh gods, I wish I was dead. _Abruptly, silence fell. Ty Lee began to shiver after a while. _What's going on? _she wondered. _What are they doing? _And then the hood was jerked from her head. Bright light blinded her. Ty Lee turned her face away from it, grimacing.

"State your name, prisoner."

The words were cold and clinical, as if spoken by a machine. Ty Lee couldn't see her questioner. The room was very dark – as black as pitch – and a bright light was trained on her. She blinked her watering eyes. "Ty Lee," she whispered.

"Speak up," came the growl. "You talk so we can hear you!"

"Ty Lee," she quavered, a little louder this time.

"That's better." Ty Lee heard movement, but saw nothing. She twisted her wrists briefly in their cuffs, then quickly stopped, fearful that they would take this as resistance. No one commented. "You are familiar with the former crown princess of the Fire Nation, Azula."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"In fact, you went to her cell daily until the day of her escape from prison. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you are aware that she was behind a recent attempt on the life of Fire Lord Zuko."

"Yes, sir." Ty Lee looked away from the light – it was making her eyes hurt.

"You were, in fact, involved in that plot. Were you not?" The interrogator's voice was cool.

Would contradicting him be considered a lack of cooperation? Ty Lee bit her lips. "No, sir," she said hesitantly. "I didn't even know that she'd done it until we were on our way to the Earth Kingdom. That's when she told me, sir."

There was movement again. The heavy hands of soldiers fell on Ty Lee's shoulders, making her jump. "Come now, Ty Lee. You were with her every day. And you did subsequently break her out of prison, did you not?"

Her mouth felt dry. "I did, sir," she admitted. "But –"

"In fact, you assaulted the Fire Lady and stole her signet ring during the course of that particular action. Correct?"

"Well...yes, sir. But I –"

"And after all that, you expect us to believe that you had no prior knowledge of the fact that the traitor Azula was making arrangements to have the Fire Lord assassinated?"

The hands of the guards tightened on Ty Lee's shoulders. She had to choke down the lump that was rising in her throat. "I didn't know," she pleaded. "It's the truth! Azula never told me until after."

Some kind of a signal must have been given then, although the prisoner couldn't see it. She felt the manacles on her wrists being removed. Her arms were pulled above her head and chained there – then the soldiers released her and vanished back into the darkness. Ty Lee stood still, trembling and waiting. "We'll come back to this," the interrogator said placidly. "Now – you've already admitted to the assault on the Fire Lady and the theft of her ring. Do you confess to having attacked the five men who were engaged in interrogating the former princess Azula at the time?"

While Ty Lee couldn't remember exactly how many people she'd attacked, she certainly remembered having done it. "Yes, sir," she said meekly.

"And then you went to Ember Island, having gained access to it by the use of your accomplice, the waterbender assigned to the ferry."

"No!" Ty Lee shook her head. "Well, I mean...he did take us over there. But Silas had no idea who we were until later. He wasn't my accomplice."

"Of course he wasn't." The words were heavy with sarcasm. "But we'll come back to that, too. – You broke into the beach house belonging to the Fire Lord and used it as your hideout while you remained on the island. You then proceeded to kidnap Fire Lady Mai and steal a war balloon belonging to the Fire Nation military."

_Well, that's all accurate. _Ty Lee bit her lip. "Yes, sir."

"You admit to all of that."

"Yes, sir." Ty Lee tugged lightly on the cuffs that held her arms above her head. They made her feel very vulnerable and exposed, and she couldn't help but remember what had been done to Azula when they had chained her this way. Ty Lee blinked back tears.

"You and the traitor then took the Fire Lady with you upon reaching the Earth Kingdom," her questioner went on. "You did, however, leave behind the young private you had forced into powering the war balloon for you."

Ty Lee winced at a sudden pang of conscience. She did, indeed, remember that boy. "Yes," she admitted. Then, anxiously, "Was...was he all right?"

"No thanks to you and the devil Azula, yes. I'm asking the questions here, prisoner. Close your mouth." Ty Lee fell silent, taking her tongue between her teeth. "A deployment of nine Fire Nation soldiers and three Earth Kingdom soldiers accosted you two days later. You and the traitor then proceeded to murder every one of them."

"I didn't kill anybody," Ty Lee said quietly. She knew already that this probably wouldn't make any difference. "I paralyzed the earthbenders and eight of the firebender guys. The ninth blasted me and knocked me into a rock. I wasn't even conscious when they were killed."

There was no hesitation. "Ex-princess Azula is no longer capable of firebending, and we have it on good authority that she is also incapable of fighting, due to a crippling of her limbs. Do you believe that she could have carried out those twelve murders without your assistance, prisoner?" Ty Lee looked down, shivering. She was very aware of her own helplessness – fear made her tongue cleave to the roof of her mouth. "I asked you a question, prisoner. Answer it!" The interrogator's tone suddenly turned menacing. "Do you believe that Azula could have killed those men without your help?"

Tears came. "No, sir."

There was silence. Ty Lee was terrified, now – her body shook with tiny sobs. She wished she could see; she couldn't even tell how many of her enemies were in the room with her. "You," her questioner said at last, "are not the big fish. I'm sure you're aware of that, prisoner. We want Azula." There was a short pause. "The Fire Lord is prepared to grant you your life. He will consider a sentence of imprisonment instead of execution, on one condition – that you willingly tell us where his sister is."

The captive swallowed hard. Tears still brimmed in her eyes. "I don't know where Azula is," she said in a small voice. "She left so I wouldn't be caught with her. She never told me where she was going."

As they had done before, the heavy grip of the soldiers clamped down on Ty Lee's shoulders. She cringed. "I'm going to ask you again," her interrogator said. "This would still be considered willing on your part, prisoner. You can still avoid the gallows if you answer us now. Where is Azula?"

"But I really don't know. I swear I don't," Ty Lee protested. "She didn't _tell _me, sir..."

The guards suddenly shoved her back, hard, against the wall! Ty Lee gasped. Then her questioner stepped forward into the light. He was a huge man with broad shoulders and a square, pugnacious jaw. He reminded her a bit of the late Admiral Zhao. Trembling, Ty Lee stared up at him as he loomed over her. His hooked nose thrust forward, inches from her own. "Listen, little girl," he growled. "We don't like traitors. We don't like people who kill our brothers in the armed forces. You do not want to be left to our tender mercies, which is exactly where you're going to be if you refuse the Fire Lord's generous offer." His huge hand caught her by the neck – Ty Lee choked. "Last chance. Where is she?"

"I d-don't know," Ty Lee sobbed. "I swear I don't know! Please..."

The hand left her throat. An instant later, a heavy blow smashed her across the mouth! She gave a soft cry, staring up at him in shock as warm blood flowed down her chin. He was smiling grimly, now. Shadowy figures stepped into the light from behind him, advancing on the terrified prisoner. "Should have taken the offer, little girl," he said, and reached for her again. The others closed in...


	40. Chapter 40

"Ty Lee." The little acrobat didn't want to move. Every bone in her body ached – she didn't think she could find a body part that didn't hurt. She lay and listened in silence to the soft footfalls as they appraoched her cage. There was a sharp intake of breath. Then a gentle hand brushed softly against her cheek. "Ty, can you hear me? Come on, talk to me. Or at least...I don't know, twitch, or something."

Gingerly, the prisoner opened her eyes – or tried to, at least. Her left eye was swollen shut. Very carefully, Ty Lee turned her head and looked up. The fuzzy outline of Mai loomed outside of the bars. Ty Lee looked for a moment, then let her eye close. "Ty Lee." Mai's voice quivered just slightly. "Are you all right?"

This got a response. Ty Lee opened her eye again. "Never better," she whispered.

Mai gave a small huff – not quite laughter. "You know what I mean." Her fingertips brushed lightly over the prisoner's cut lips, and then her swollen cheekbones. "Can you breathe all right? Do you think anything's broken?"

Ty Lee let her eye close a second time. She wished – not for the first time – for unconsciousness. "Breathing...fine," she murmured. "Everything's broken. Don't know."

Mai's gentle touch moved downward, investigating Ty Lee's scorched arms. Even though the touch was light, it still sent shocks of pain shooting through the prisoner's body. Ty Lee groaned dismally. "What happened?" Mai asked quietly. "You didn't resist them, did you?"

"No." The captive fought back tears as Mai touched some of the cuts that marked her shoulders. "Asked me 'bout 'Zula. Said I didn't know. They hurt me."

The young queen sighed deeply. Ty Lee felt her ragged shirt being lifted, and Mai's hand rubbed lightly over her battered ribs. She moaned. "I'm sorry, Ty," Mai said, her voice low. "I really never thought that they'd do this much. I thought...I'm sorry." Her white fingers brushed a few of the dark bruises that mottled Ty Lee's thighs and calves. At last, her investigations complete, the assassin sat back on her heels. "Well, you've taken a beating. You've got a few breaks, all right. I'll see whether Zuko will let me get you a healer."

"Don't bother," Ty Lee whispered. She looked up at Mai. "Coming again."

"They're going to torture you again?" Mai asked sharply. Ty Lee gave a very slow nod. "When? Did they say when?"

"Morning." The prisoner shivered miserably. "Said this was...just a warmup."

Mai was silent for some time. Ty Lee lay with her eyes closed, only partly conscious. Finally, the young queen touched the side of the captive's face. "Ty, look at me." Blearily, the little acrobat obeyed. She could make out Mai's grave expression. "I don't know if I can do anything about...well, about the morning. But I promise you that no one will hurt you after that. Okay?"

Ty Lee ran her parched tongue over the cut on her upper lip. "I'm sorry...about all of it," she murmured. "Mai, please...make them bury me...Fire Nation..."

"You're not going to die. I mean it." The young queen scowled down at her. "It'll take me a few hours to sort things out, at best. I don't know if I can get you out of harm's way before...well, before that next session. But I promise that I'll save you. Do you understand?"

"Okay." Ty Lee's voice was barely audible. "Mai...stay with me?"

"I can't. If I'm going to save you, I have to act now." Mai rested her palm against the prisoner's forehead. "I wish I could do both, Ty." Ty Lee closed her eye and nodded her acceptance. "I'll start working on it right away. I'll get you out of this." With these words, the assassin rose and strode purposefully from the dungeon.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The cell door opened. If Ty Lee had been able to, she would have cried and begged to be left alone. As it was, she whimpered pitifully as she heard the door of her cage being opened. She was lifted up. The movement hurt horribly – she groaned through her gritted teeth. The shackles around her wrists and ankles released. Ty Lee moaned again as her arms were jostled.

"Quiet, now," came the stern whisper. It sounded like a man's voice. "Not another sound. Do you hear me?" Ty Lee shut her mouth tightly on her whimpers. She felt herself being carried somewhere. Cold air blasted around her, making her broken body shiver. To her sudden confusion, she felt herself being wrapped in a blanket. She couldn't completely stifle her groan as the rough cloth rubbed against the fresh burns on her arms. "Shh," the voice said softly. "Quiet, child."

She was laid down on something hard, and more blankets were draped over her body. "I can't stay long," a woman's voice said. "I have to be back in my quarters before this all comes to light. Here." There was a clinking of coins. "That should cover everything. If she needs anything more, go to my cousin in New Ursa. I've already written and asked him to give you anything you need."

Ty Lee weakly opened her swollen eyes and turned her head. Her blurred vision made out two figures standing over her, black against the pale moonlight. "Mai?" she whispered, her voice cracking in her parched throat.

"Ty." A warm hand rested gently against Ty Lee's cheek. "Ty Lee, this man is Liu. He's going to take you someplace safe where you can rest and heal for a while. He and his wife served my family for many years. You can trust them – you'll be safe with them. All right?"

The long hours of torture had left the little acrobat weak and slow in thought, but she knew what this must mean. _Mai's breaking me out of prison. She's taking a horrible risk. _She squinted up at the young queen. "I'm not...going to see you again...am I?"

"Probably not." Mai's voice was quiet. "I hope not." Then she leaned down and gently put her arms around Ty Lee – something that she'd only done spontaneously once before. That had been during their first joyful reunion after being released from prison, just after the fall of Ozai and his daughter. "Don't let him catch you again, Ty," Mai said softly. "I can't protect you if he does."

"I won't," Ty Lee whispered. "Please...be careful, Mai." The arms around her tightened just a fraction. "I love you. I'll miss you."

"Take care, Ty Lee," Mai said. "Good luck." With that, she let go. "Goodbye, Liu. Take good care of her for me. Be careful going through the gates – there are guards. And go quickly."

"I will, my lady. Have no fear of that." Ty Lee heard retreating footsteps. Then a man's face hovered over her. "I'm going to hide you with bundles of wood," he said. "We have to get you out of Gaoling unseen. You must be very quiet. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Ty Lee closed her eyes. She listened to the sound of the wood being piled overtop of her. Liu stacked it carefully – not even a twig actually touched Ty Lee's battered form. It was very dark in her little hiding place. It reminded her of the little cell she had been imprisoned in, and the darkness of the room where they had tortured her. Shutting her eyes tightly, Ty Lee forced herself to breathe slowly.

Soon, she felt the cart she was lying on begin to move. The girl gritted her teeth as pain shot through her. Seven of her fingers had been deliberately broken, and at least one of her arms – everything else was guesswork. She took her tongue between her teeth and stayed silent, even though it cost her. Hot tears coursed down her face.

Voices. Ty Lee stared up at the canopy of sticks above her in silent terror, listening intently. "And where are you off to so early in the morning, old man?" The voice sounded almost jovial, but she knew it must belong to one of the guards at the gates of the city.

"Taking a load of wood back to the missus," came Liu's voice, equally good-natured. "It gets cold a little later in the year. Used to be able to cut all the wood myself, but the years do get to a man..."

"I hear you, I hear you." The guard chuckled. "Well, hurry along, then. Wouldn't want the wife to worry." The cart began to move again. It still joggled Ty Lee's battered form; she bit down hard on her own tongue as tears of pain squeezed between her tightly-shut lids.

Finally, the jolting of the cart stopped. Ty Lee couldn't restrain a small whimper, but that was the only sound that broke from her lips. There was a pause, and then some of the sticks above her began to disappear. Liu was soon leaning over her. She felt a hand slipping beneath her head, and then the neck of a bottle thrust itself between her bruised lips. Cool water trickled into her mouth. Ty Lee gulped greedily. "There we go," Liu said quietly. "That's a bit better, isn't it, child?" He let her drink for a while, then took the bottle away. "Here," he said, holding up a small flask. "This should make you sleep. It'll make this journey easier on you."

The drops from the bottle tasted bittersweet. Ty Lee swallowed them quietly. The man carefully tucked the blankets around her, then vanished from her view; she felt the cart moving. Ty Lee was beginning to feel deliciously sleepy. She was still aware of the pain, but it felt far away. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes. The world faded away.


	41. Chapter 41

Mai had only been in her quarters long enough to dress and lie down in her bed when the door was flung open. She sat up, affecting grogginess as the lamps in her room suddenly flared to life. Her eyes fell on Zuko's angry face. He strode to her bed and stood over her. "Where is she?" he demanded.

She rubbed one eye and looked at him coolly. "She, who?"

"Don't play stupid, Mai. Ty Lee's gone, and I know you were involved somehow. Where is she? What did you do with her?" His face was flushed with rage.

The young queen searched her husband's face closely for a moment. _He knows. No point in maintaining the charade, I suppose. _Mai shrugged quietly. "Ty Lee's safe," she said. "I sent her somewhere you won't find her."

Zuko gaped down at her speechlessly for a moment. "Mai, how...why...how could you _do_ that?" he sputtered finally. "Do you even realize what you've done? Do you know how serious this is? You've released a traitor. Now we can't force her to tell us where Azula is. You've...you've practically taken my sister's side! That's high treason, Mai. Treason!"

"You could look at it that way, I suppose, Zuko." She met his bewildered eyes calmly. "But I don't think I've betrayed you. I've kept you from doing something you'd regret later."

"What are you _talking_ about?" he growled.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Mai gazed up at him. "Ty Lee doesn't know where Azula is," she said quietly. "I've already told you that. You refused to believe it. I would have let it go, Zuko, except that you were having Ty Lee tortured. Another session would probably have killed her. And you _would_ have regretted that later – once your sister was dead, and all of this had died back down. You'd have regretted it because Ty Lee doesn't deserve to die, and she doesn't even know what you were torturing her to find out." He gaped at her again. "I'm not telling you where she is," Mai said. "We'll just clear that up right away. So I guess you have a decision to make now, Zuko."

His face twisted. Mai watched in silence as emotions flickered across it – hurt, outrage, confusion, pain. It reminded her a bit of how Azula had glared at her and Ty Lee at the Boiling Rock. "Mai, you...I can't just let this go. It's treason. It's...it's a capital crime..." Zuko took a step back, his face working. "You should die for this..."

"Really? Is that what you're going to do? Are you really going to have me killed just for saving Ty Lee's life?" Mai looked at him in disgust. "Come on, Zuko. Give your head a shake. I stand with you, and you know it. You're just being stubborn, and – and paranoid. Gods, sometimes I think you're just as bad as your sister."

The Fire Lord turned away. He was gritting his teeth, and Mai thought his amber eyes were wet. "No. I can't...I can't do anything yet," he muttered. "I have to think..." He glared at her again. "Don't you leave your quarters until I've decided what to do with you, Mai."

"Fine," she said coldly. "You go ahead and think for a while. Come see me again whenever you've decided to stop being such an ass." He turned from her furiously and stomped from the room, slamming the door behind him. She could hear him barking out orders that guards be placed at her door.

Scowling, Mai got up, put out all her lamps again, and went back to bed. She wasn't afraid, but she was upset. _I can't believe he's even considering punishing me for this. I've seen him act like a jerk before, but this – this takes the cake. _She burrowed her head into the pillows and pulled the covers up around her shoulders. _Idiot._

It was some time before she could fall asleep.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When Ty Lee regained consciousness, the sun was low in the sky. It felt late. _It must be evening. I've been asleep all day. _Her body still ached, but it was bearable. Grimacing, she tried to look around. There was still wood piled around her, blocking her view of anything but the sky. Ty Lee sighed and relaxed again, letting her head fall back.

A few minutes later, the cart stopped. The sticks that were piled to her left were removed, and she saw Liu's face again. She could see him better now in the daylight. Liu's black hair was streaked with silver, and was pulled up into a Fire Nation topknot. He had kindly gray eyes. "We're home, child," he said gruffly, seeing her awake. "Shan will be wanting to meet you, I'm sure. Come along." He lifted her up off the cart. Ty Lee gasped and sucked in her breath sharply; then she was being carried. She shivered, clenching her teeth and her eyes against the pain.

"Liu, you're back!" It was a woman's voice, strong and a little sharp. It reminded Ty Lee a little of Toph's voice. She felt a sudden warmth as she was carried inside. "This must be our guest...spirits above, Liu, there must be some mistake. She's only a child!"

"No mistake." Ty Lee felt herself being passed from one set of arms to another, and groaned. "Lady Mai told me where she was, and she saw us off herself."

"But this can't be." Shan laid the little acrobat down carefully on something soft. Ty Lee sighed faintly as she felt herself being enveloped in warmth. "Lady Mai said she was sending us a political prisoner with all kinds of charges against her. This is only a little girl. She couldn't possibly be a traitor facing nine murder charges, and the gods only know what else!"

"She's sixteen, from what Lady Mai told me. That's the same age as Princess Azula," Liu pointed out. Ty Lee heard Shan huff. "I'll go and get a doctor right away. Our guest's taken a beating or two recently, by the looks of her."

Ty Lee felt a gentle hand brushing her short hair back from her face. "Make sure you get that young Michio, and not Jing," she said. "Jing couldn't keep her mouth shut about something if you sewed her lips together. Michio is a discreet fellow."

"Yes, I'll get him." A door closed.

Weakly, Ty Lee peered up at the woman who was hovering over her. Shan had salt-and-pepper hair, like her husband, and a lean face. Her gray eyes were calm and clear, and she had a practical air about her. "The poor lamb," Shan murmured, shaking her head. "You children, playing at politics! You'd leave all that nasty business to your elders, if I was in charge." She smiled a bit. "Are you hungry? I have some soup made, if you'd like it." Ty Lee nodded, with some eagerness. She was famished – she'd had nothing to eat since she had been thrown in prison. Gently, Shan lifted the girl up and held a steaming bowl to her mouth. The soup was thick and savory. It stung the cuts on Ty Lee's lips, but she didn't care. She drank deeply. "You're pretty hungry," Shan commented, refilling the bowl. Ty Lee drank again. "That'll be enough for now. We don't want to make you sick, after all. Here, lie back – we'll get you another pillow..."

The soft cushions did make Ty Lee feel a little better. She watched through half-closed eyes as Shan filled a basin with water and took some rags from a drawer. With these, the old woman washed Ty Lee's wounds. She avoided the burns on the acrobat's arms, to the girl's great relief.

Just as Shan was completing this little operation, Liu returned with a young man in tow – a solemn-looking, dark-skinned waterbender. He made his way to Ty Lee's bed, introduced himself quietly as Michio, and began to examine her.

The process of setting the broken bones was painful. Ty Lee couldn't help shedding a few tears, but she felt much better once it was over. The healer went over the worst of her cuts and bruises afterward, relieving the pain and bringing down some of the swelling. The scorch marks on her arms followed; Ty Lee gave an audible sigh of relief as the waterbender's healing hands moved over them. Finally, with insctructions to let Ty Lee rest, Michio took his leave.

Shan tucked a warm blanket up under the acrobat's chin. "Are you feeling a bit better, lamb?" Ty Lee smiled sleepily and nodded. "Good." The woman smiled gravely. "You should be able to get some proper sleep, then. What's your name, child?"

"Ty Lee," the girl murmured.

"Ty Lee - !" Shan's gray eyes widened with surprise. "Not the same Ty Lee who used to play with Lady Mai and Princess Azula in the Fire Nation seven or eight years ago? The same who went to the Fire Nation Academy with them when they were younger?"

The little acrobat's brow wrinkled. "Yes..," she said hesitantly.

"Will wonders never cease? I thought that you looked familiar. I never forget a face!" Shan smiled triumphantly. "Why, I watched over the three of you many a time when you played in the governor's estate. I think I even spanked you once for climbing up to a second-story window and stealing some cookies that were cooling there!"

That incident did sound familiar. Ty Lee winced and squirmed at the memory of the spanking, then looked more closely at the old woman. "I remember," she said softly. "We called you Auntie, didn't we?"

"That you did." Shan smiled broadly and patted down Ty Lee's hair. "Just look at how you've grown...when I last saw you, you barely came up to my middle. What mischief have you been getting into, you young imp? Why would my lady have to send you to me?" Ty Lee blushed and looked away. She didn't really want to have to explain all that had happened in the last few weeks. "Never mind," the old woman said with a sigh, patting Ty Lee's arm. "I'm sure it would only upset me, and you need your rest." She muttered something that the invalid didn't catch, about 'children and politics.' "Sleep now," she said quietly. "You're safe here, lamb."

"Okay." The little acrobat smiled wearily and closed her eyes. "Night, Auntie." She felt the woman's hand brushing her forehead. Warm and well-fed for the first time in days, it didn't take Ty Lee long to drift off to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

Tedium, Mai thought, was a thing she could never really escape from. It took a lot to get her interested in most things, and it took even more to keep her interest. But imprisonment made the ennui far worse than usual – even when it was only confinement to her quarters, and not to a jail cell. She could almost sympathize with what Ty Lee had said once, about her cage driving her insane. Mai was expecting to start hearing voices at any moment.

Well, okay – she'd been through far worse things in her life. (Her stay in prison after having turned on Azula came to mind, for example.) But at least then all she'd had to dread was more dreariness. Now, she had to think about what her husband might do.

Mai sighed, curling up on the window seat. Her narrow eyes looked out over the city of Gaoling. She wasn't too worried that Zuko would have her killed, even though he'd mentioned the possibility; he'd never be able to follow through on that. Other things, though...Mai shifted uneasily.

When she'd first left Ty Lee's cell the day before, she hadn't really had time to dwell on the full ramifications of what she'd intended to do. The need had been too pressing to allow for much thought. _Save Ty _had been just about all that was on her mind, and adrenaline had fueled her until her return to her quarters that night. But now Mai was really thinking.

Treason, Zuko had called it. _High_ treason – and really, it was. In the cold light of day and of unclouded reasoning, Mai could see that. Ty Lee was a close ally of the most dangerous and wanted felon in all of the Fire Nation. Helping the acrobat was the same as directly helping Azula herself, in the eyes of the law. She, Mai, was now in exactly the same position that Ty Lee had been, and faced one of the same charges – aiding an enemy of the state. Mai's lips curved. _I guess this pays me back for being so smug and saying 'I told you so' to Ty Lee a few days ago, doesn't it? Gods. The irony's so thick, I could probably cut it with a knife._

So what would Zuko do? Mai leaned her head back against the window frame. If Zuko's family history set any precedents, she wondered if he wouldn't decide to have her exiled. That was what his father had ostensibly done to his mother, after all.

The thought sent a pang through Mai's heart. She closed her eyes. As unsentimental and practical as she was about most things, she would dearly miss Zuko if she were forced to leave him. A deep breath expanded her ribs. She regretted having hurt him. _I don't regret having saved Ty Lee, though – that I'll never regret. _The young queen resumed her scrutiny of the streets below. _I won't ever regret that, no matter what it may cost me. I couldn't have lived with myself if I'd just stepped aside and let everything happen._

There came a heavy knock at the door, and two soldiers entered. One of them stepped forward and bowed with great respect. "Fire Lady Mai, the Fire Lord has ordered that you be brought downstairs for questioning. If you will please disarm and come with us?"

Mai rose to her feet and drew herself up deliberately, fixing him with a stony glare. He bowed again, touching his clenched fist against the heel of his hand. "Fire Lord's orders, your highness." She caught the glint in his eye and smirked inwardly. _He's afraid of me. Smart man. _Coldly, she drew up her sleeves and removed the hidden sheaths that held her knives, letting them fall. He bowed a third time. "If you will come with us, my lady?" The young queen moved out into the hall without a word. The soldiers flanked her, careful not to actually touch her.

She was not in the least surprised to find Zuko waiting for her in the interrogation room. There was a single chair there, resting in the middle of the floor. Without being told, Mai calmly took a seat. Zuko nodded at the guards. Mai's arms were grasped and tied loosely to the arms of the chair. This done, the soldiers discreetly vanished, leaving the Fire Lord alone with his wife.

Coolly, Mai looked down at the cords around her wrists. She could easily have tugged her arms free with one or two good yanks. She met his gaze. "Making a point again, my lord husband?" she asked calmly.

"Something like that." His eyes were stern. "I'm sure we've both had some time to think things over. Maybe even reconsider our positions."

"That depends on what you mean by 'reconsider,' Zuko." Mai's gaze did not falter. "If you're asking me whether I've decided to give you Ty Lee after all, the answer is no. If you're asking whether I'm sorry now..." She paused. "I am sorry that I hurt you," she said quietly. "And I'm sorry that I compared you to your sister. That was uncalled for."

Zuko paced the room a couple of times, grimacing. "I don't know what to do, Mai," he said finally, plaintively. "You're one of the few people I really trusted – one of the few that I thought wouldn't ever turn on me. Now it looks like I was wrong. What am I supposed to do?" His hands rose to the sides of his head, clutching at the air – a throwback to when he'd had an untidy mop of shaggy hair. "If you were anybody else, I'd probably have you hanged. But you're not. You're...you're _Mai."_

She sighed and looked down. "Zuko, I haven't turned on you," she said gently. "No matter what it looks like, I promise you I haven't. I'd gladly lay down my life for you. I told you the truth last night. I did this to save Ty Lee's life, of course – but I also did it to save you from becoming a murderer."

"How can I believe you?" He sat down abruptly against the wall, his amber eyes pleading with her. "How can I? You're shielding Azula's only ally. How can that not be betrayal?"

"Because," she said patiently, "Ty doesn't _know_ where Azula is, any more than I do. I couldn't just stand aside and let your soldiers torture her to death, any more than I could stand aside and let Azula's soldiers send you to a watery grave. Azula's the enemy, not Ty Lee."

Zuko buried his head in his hands. "I want to believe you," he said. "I want so badly to believe you...I want to just forget this ever happened, and make things the way they were. I can't make this decision myself, Mai. I just can't." She said nothing. He took a deep breath. "I'm going to stand you before my advisory council. They can make the decision in your case. I'm too close – I can't see it clearly."

Mai could see his pain, and it made her own throat tighten. She had to take a breath or two before it loosened again, and the suspicious burning in her eyes passed. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sorry I put you in this position. I didn't do this to hurt you."

"Well, you did." For a moment his voice was petulant, like a little boy's. Then the detached mask of the Fire Lord went back up. Mai saw it with a pang of pride – _she_ had helped him to master that. Zuko rose to his feet. "I'll leave you confined to your quarters if you promise that you won't try to escape," he said.

She couldn't restrain a smug smirk. "I could have dont that a half-dozen times already." He didn't smile – Mai sighed. "All right, Zuko. I won't try to escape. Where would I even go?"

He didn't respond. Opening the door, he motioned to the guards who were waiting outside. "Take the Fire Lady back to her rooms. You will guard the doors as you were doing before." Except to untie the ropes that held Mai's arms, the guards were once again very careful not to lay a finger on her as they escorted her back upstairs.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was very nice at Liu and Shan's little house, Ty Lee had decided.

She was feeling very much better. In the week or so since Shan had first laid her down on her soft bed by the fire, Ty Lee had been seen twice more by the solemn young doctor, and had been well-fed. She felt a lot stronger. Really, Ty Lee thought she was almost back to normal health and spirits, but Shan wouldn't hear of letting her get up and start training again.

No – Shan had pampered and spoiled her rotten ever since her arrival. Ty Lee couldn't claim that she didn't like it. After all the unpleasantness of the past few weeks, having her old Auntie fluff up her pillows and feed her soup and make her spicy Fire Nation cookies was a welcome change. It was very good. But...but...

There was Azula.

Ty Lee rested back against the pillows that were propping her up, gazing out of the hut's tiny window. The misty hills lay in the distance, pale and cold. _Somewhere out there, Azula's still hiding and running for her life. She's out there – alone and in pain. _Ty Lee shifted fretfully. _Of course, maybe Zuko's caught her by now. – No, I won't think like that! She's out there somewhere, and I've got to find her somehow. I've got to._

Shan, who had been stirring at a pot of rice over the fire, looked up. Ty Lee colored a little as she realized that she had just uttered a long sigh. "Are you all right, lamb?" the old woman asked her.

"Yeah." The little acrobat's voice sounded unconvincing in her own ears. She bit her lip and fidgeted. "No, Auntie," she amended, looking up sadly. "I...have a friend who needs me. I love being here, I really do! And I'm so grateful. But..." Her voice trailed off.

The woman nodded queitly and turned back to her cooking. She didn't seem surprised. "Lady Mai never told us what exactly you'd done, lamb," she said. "But Liu told me about a flyer he'd seen in the town square in Gaoling..." Ty Lee winced, and waited in silence. Shan looked at her again with a sad smile. "Azula probably does need you."

There was a pause. "So...you'll let me go?" Ty Lee asked softly. "You won't try to keep me here, or stop me somehow?"

Shan stirred in silence for a minute or two. "No," she said at last, "for two reasons. First, because Lady Mai sent you to me, so I'm sure there's more to the story than what I know. You're no prisoner of mine, anyway. And second – I remember young Azula." She paused again. "Azula and her brother were at the center of a lot of...things, just by virtue of who and what they were. I thought it was a good thing that Azula had you then. And now you're probably the _only_ thing she has – yes?"

Ty Lee hesitated. "Sort of, I guess," she said. "I don't think I have much anymore other than her, either."

"If that's true," Shan said quietly, "then it's by choice. It's different for her. She was alone almost from the moment she was born. I know a lot of people were afraid of her even when she was a child, but I felt sorry for her." She looked at the little acrobat again. "I meant what I said – about how children shouldn't be playing politics. But I know that you, Princess Azula and Lady Mai were born into it," she said. "I don't think any of you ever had a choice about it. And if you've chosen to walk Azula's path with her, then that's what you've chosen. I'm sure you already know what a lonely and dangerous path it is."

The acrobat nodded and smiled gravely. "I know," she said.

"Then what would be the point of my trying to persuade you otherwise?" Shan pulled the pot of rice off the fire. "But I will ask you to stay here a few more days, at least, lamb. I'd never be able to face Lady Mai again if I let you go off before you're really well and strong. Will you do that for your old Auntie, at least?"

Ty Lee beamed. "Of course, Auntie," she said cheerfully.

"Good." The old woman set the pot of rice on the small, low table. "I think dinner's ready – I'm going to go and get Liu." And she shuffled out the door to find her husband.


	43. Chapter 43

The clouds hung low over the dark hills, wreathing their heads in icy mist. The ground was dusted lightly with snowdrifts, through which the sharp points of broken stones peeked like bones through an open wound. It was unquestionably winter, now. And it most certainly was a bad time to be beneath those hills on foot, trudging through the canyons that lay outside of Gaoling.

Ty Lee sighed, hiking her pack up so that it rested more comfortably on her shoulders. She had left Liu and Shan's comfortable little house nine days ago. It had taken her three days to walk the distance to Gaoling, and two and a half more to find her way back to the last campsite she'd shared with Mai and Azula, dodging search parties all the way. From there, she'd headed back toward Gaoling, trying to find signs of where Azula might have gone. _I know she didn't go back toward the war balloon, and I know she probvably wouldn't have tried to go into Gaoling – too risky. So where would she have gone?_

In the end, Ty Lee had gone with an educated guess. The canyon that stretched toward Gaoling split in two about eight miles from the city, with one branch pointing toward the Earth Kingdom settlement, and the other leading northward. She followed the northern canyon, staying close to the river. _Azula can't walk far – she'd stay close to water, _Ty Lee reasoned. She watched the banks as she went, looking for footprints.

For two days, she had been walking along the river's edge. The air was cold – far colder than when she'd left Liu and Shan. She could still remember how the old woman had tucked her into bed the night before she had set out. Despite her prior words, Shan had tried to convince Ty Lee not to go. "It's winter, lamb," she'd said gently, resting her hand on the blankets. "You could freeze to death out there, long before you ever found Azula. And if you do find her, you'll be in even worse danger. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Auntie," Ty Lee had said quietly, smiling. "I'm sure. Azula needs me."

The little acrobat shivered as the cold wind picked up again. Her fingers felt cold, even through the soft green mittens that Shan had given her. She glanced at the sun; it was nearing the horizon. Soon she would have to find a place to take shelter in for the night. Ty Lee sighed again, her large gray eyes sweeping the banks of the river ahead of her. She saw no evidence of any human activity. _Oh, Azula...how am I ever going to find you?_

Something caught her eye off to her right a few minutes later. It was a large column of something that looked like steam, billowing up about a mile away. She paused to look at it curiously. _Must be a fissure or something – or maybe a hot spring. _The thought of warmth appealed to her. Ty Lee hesitated. _No. I should stay near the river if I want to find her. But...maybe it caught her attention, too, since it's caught mine? _She paused for a moment more. Then, her mind made up, Ty Lee headed toward the cloud of steam.

The terrain was quite rough, and it was slow going. She had to be careful, too, since the light drifts of snow concealed many holes and smaller stones. By the time Ty Lee was approaching the source of the vapor, the sun was touching the rim of the canyon, and the dull grayness of evening was closing in. The little acrobat slipped around a pile of boulders and looked; it _was_ a hot spring, to her delight. There was a rim of rock around it, almost like a natural swimming pool or bathtub, and the hot water was bubbling pleasantly. It overflowed from there into a small, steaming brook, which in turn vanished into a crack in the ground.

This was good. Ty Lee reached out a mittened hand to touch the rim of stone, and felt the warmth through the thick wool. It made her smile. Almost without thinking, she began to unbuckle her pack, intent on warming herself properly for the first time in days. And then her gaze fell on the ground.

Ty Lee froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. There were footprints here – lots of them, going back many days. The most recent ones seemed to have been left by an inexplicable pair of bare feet. Ty Lee could easily make out the marks left by the individual toes. Her brow wrinkled. _Why would anyone be out here in bare feet? Hot spring or not, it's freezing out here. There's snow on the ground! _She followed the tracks to the sheer wall of the canyon, and then along it. They led her about thirty yards from the spring. Then, near a thick clump of bushes, they vanished. Peering closer, Ty Lee made out the mouth of a small cave behind them.

The little acrobat paused, gazing at it thoughtfully. In silence, she removed her pack and set it down on the ground. _I wonder...could Azula be here? But no. She wouldn't just stay in one place. I'd think she'd keep running. _Slowly, she moved forward. _This is probably just an old campsite of hers, if it's hers at all. But I better look anyway. _Pushing aside some of the brush, Ty Lee ducked inside the cave.

She paused there, just inside, letting her eyes adjust to the light. The cave was only just high enough for her to stand up straight, and maybe six feet across. It stretched back into the rock for about twenty yards; Ty Lee could barely make out that fact. Strangely, the air inside the cave was fairly warm, likely heated by the nearby spring. It also stank. Her nose wrinkled, and she took a curious step. Something rattled at the far end of the cave! Ty Lee froze.

It took some time for her eyes to adjust further, and for her heartbeat to return to something approaching normal. She peered into the darkness, and thought that she could make out an even darker shape. "Hello?" she quavered. There was no answer. _Am I maybe talking to a shadow, or a platypus-bear? _"Hello?" she said again. "Is...is anyone there?"

A faint whimper came to her ears. She thought it sounded human, but she couldn't be certain. Slowly, Ty Lee took another step. There was definitely movement this time. She saw the dark shape flinch and grow smaller. "Hello," Ty Lee said again, her voice softer. "It's okay. I'm not here to hurt anybody." Another careful step. "My name's Ty Lee. What's yours?" No answer – only another whimper. This time, the little acrobat was certain it was human. She wished that there was more light. "Azula? Is that you?" she asked softly. Her slow advance continued.

She was only about eight feet from the end of the cave, now. The stench was almost overpowering; Ty Lee thrust it out of her mind. She could hear loud, terrified breathing coming from the indistinct figure that huddled before her. "Hey," Ty Lee said gently, her heart pounding. She very slowly crouched down and knelt, continuing to move carefully forward. "I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay." She could see the glint of frightened eyes peering at her, and the paler streaks that were white limbs. _It's got to be Azula. It's got to be...why isn't she answering me? _"It's okay," she murmured again, shuffling forward. She was now two or three feet from the shivering figure. Very carefully, she began to extend her hand. The figure flinched visibly, and Ty Lee paused. "Shh," she whispered. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. It's okay." She reached farther, and farther still, until at last her fingers contacted skin. Ty Lee slipped her hand around a pair of thin shoulders and drew the shivering body into her arms.

There was no more doubt. "'Zula," Ty Lee said softly, her heart slowly filling with joy. "I've found you! I've found you. You're safe now. It's me – it's your Ty. I'm here." She hugged the trembling girl close. Her hands moved over ragged cloth, prominent ribs, and skin stretched tightly over the protruding lumps of a spine. Her brow creased. "Oh, 'Zula, you're all skin and bones! You must be so hungry," she murmured. "And your clothes are all torn. It's a good thing I brought some food and things with me, isn't it? Let me help you. Come on – let's get you warmed and washed up, first. There's a hot spring right near here. But I'm sure you know all about that, don't you? Come on." With much coaxing and gentle tugging, Ty Lee finally managed to draw the girl out of the cave and into the light.

The little acrobat's heart sank at the sight. Azula was thin and gaunt, and her clothes hung off her in rags. Her hair was matted and full of leaves and dirt. She looked like a corpse. The only things really alive about her were her eyes – they gleamed and glistened with frenetic, restless energy. She didn't seem to recognize who Ty Lee was at all. Ty Lee swallowed her dismay and disappointment to smile gently. "Come on, 'Zula," she said softly, slipping her arm around the thin waist and pulling her toward the hot spring. "Let's get you cleaned up. That's it."

As out of it as Azula seemed to be, she didn't resist. Ty Lee had little trouble in stripping off the filthy rags and getting her into the steaming water. She had no soap, but she bathed her as best she could, and tried to get most of the dirt out of her hair. Then she dried her off and dressed her in the clothes that she had brought. They were too large, but they were warm, at least. "There we go," she murmured, putting her arm around the black-haired girl again. "Come on, 'Zula. I'll fix you something to eat for supper. Would you like that? I'll bet you would, wouldn't you? That'll make you feel lots better." Again, Azula didn't resist. Ty Lee sat her down by the mouth of the cave and wrapped her in a blanket. "You just sit there and rest while I get things ready," she said gently. The girl sat quietly, clutching the warm blanket around herself, and stared blankly down at the ground.

Ty Lee hunted around through the drifts, and managed to find enough sticks to build a small fire. The wood was wet, so it smoked a good deal at first, but she finally got it burning properly. Then she filled her cooking pot with water and set it on the coals to heat. While she waited, Ty Lee broke off a long branch from one of the bushes that still had some leaves on it, and used it to sweep most of the filth out of the cave. There were many rodent bones, most of them showing the marks of human teeth. Ty Lee shuddered, glancing at Azula's vacant face, and tried not to think too much about this. She went back to the pot over the fire.

_Really, Azula needs something with a lot of nutrients, but maybe I'd better just go with something quick and simple at first, _Ty Lee mused. _I'll make her some porridge. That'll be fairly easy on her stomach. _She dug out the bag of oats from her pack and began to stir them into the boiling water. When the food was cooked, she spooned out a steaming bowl and went to where Azula was huddled. She drew the girl's bony hands from beneath the blanket and pressed the bowl into them. "Here, 'Zula. Eat," she said. "You'll feel better once you've had some hot supper." The food seemed to galvanize the girl into life. Azula clutched the bowl close and began to scoop the warm porridge into her mouth with her fingers. Ty Lee sighed and turned away to get her own dinner.

Azula ate two bowls of food. Afterward, Ty Lee hauled a pile of dead branches into the cave, spreading a layer of evergreen boughs on top of them to make a sort of soft couch. Then she went back outside. Azula was sitting quietly again with the empty bowl on her lap, her amber eyes unfocused. Ty Lee gently took her arm. "Come on, 'Zula. It's time to sleep," she said softly. "You'll be comfortable tonight. Come with Ty Lee, she'll help you..." She got Azula to lie down on the pile of branches and fragrant evergreen leaves, and draped the blanket over her. The former princess peered at her in vague confusion for a moment before laying her head down; her eyes closed. Ty Lee tenderly brushed the damp hair back from the girl's face and kissed her cheek. "Sleep, 'Zula," she whispered. "I'll watch out for you. You're safe now." Azula sighed faintly.

With her charge safely resting, Ty Lee cleaned up a little more, using warm spring water and rags to bathe the stone floor of the cave. The place smelled much less foul when she had finished. She packed up her things and stored them inside. Then she went on another hunt for firewood, which she laid out inside the cave to dry. It was quite dark by the time she had finished. Wearily, Ty Lee crept in beside Azula's still form and took her in her arms, drawing the blanket around them both. Ty Lee gently dropped a kiss on the pale brow. "Good night, 'Zula," she whispered. "I love you." The girl didn't stir. With a sigh, the little acrobat rested her head on the sweet-smelling pine needles. In a very few minutes, she was sound asleep.


	44. Chapter 44

When Ty Lee woke, her arms were still clasped around the wasted body of the former firebender. Azula lay still, her head pillowed near Ty Lee's shoulder; her breathing was deep and even. Even in the pale light of morning, she could see how sunken Azula's eyes were, and how hollow her cheeks had grown. _If I hadn't found her, she'd probably have starved. What if I hadn't decided to go look at that cloud of steam? _The little acrobat felt a lump rising in her throat. "I'm so glad I found you," she whispered, pulling the shaggy black head against herself. "It'll be all right, now. I promise." Azula shifted and murmured a little, but didn't wake.

It was strange that everything should have brought them to this place. Ty Lee pensively moved a few unruly strands from the white face. Only two years ago, Azula had been Crown Princess Azula, one of the most powerful people in the mightiest Nation in the world – brilliant, regal, deadly and beautiful. Ty Lee had worshiped her fervently, despite the flaws that she also saw – the coldness, the cruelty, and the shrewd exploitation of anyone who got near enough. The Fire Nation had been poised to take permanent control of the world.

And now, here they lay – the mighty princess and one of her two hand-picked generals – on a pile of sticks in a hole. Hunted. Almost universally hated. Marked for death.

_If I was smart, I'd leave her here and run for my life. _Ty Lee smiled tenderly and kissed Azula's pale forehead. _It's sure a good thing for you that I'm not smart, huh? _The thought almost made her giggle. She kissed her again. "Guess I'd better get up and make you something to eat, huh?" she said softly. "We're never going to get you feeling better unless I do." Carefully, she disentangled herself from the sleeping girl and rose to her knees. Azula didn't open her eyes. Ty Lee gently covered her with the blanket.

The little acrobat began to dig through her supplies, trying to decide what would be the best thing to cook for breakfast. _I need to give her something with some more substance,_ she mused. _Who knows how long she's been starving now? _She uncovered some dried fruit and a few strips of dried meat. _I'll fix her some more porridge and put the fruit in that. Then maybe I'll let her nibble on some jerky. _Ty Lee put a strip of the dried meat into a bowl of water to soften it and lit a small fire.

As the food was cooking, Ty Lee looked out over the canyon. The place afforded quite a good view; she could see for miles in both directions. There was no movement that she could see. _Good. This'll help. I won't have to leave the cave to keep a lookout. _She stirred the pot.

...And that brought up something else. _Now what do I do? We shouldn't just stay put, but there's really no place for us to go, even if Azula was in good enough shape to travel. Where...where could we go? _She tried to think. _Gaoling, Ba Sing Se and Omashu are out. We can't go anyplace near Kyoshi Island, either, because all the Kyoshi Warriors know who I am...Suki might have shielded me, but she won't shield Azula. – Maybe if we left the Earth Kingdom entirely? _Ty Lee bit her lip. _I'm sure Zuko's having all the major harbors watched. There might be some smaller city with a little harbor somewhere, I guess. We could try that. But I wouldn't know the first thing about where to go._

The porridge was nearly done. Ty Lee sprinkled some dried berries into it and stirred until they were soft. Then she spooned it into a bowl, and rescued the meat – now much softened – from its container of water. With these things in hand, she ducked back into the cave.

Azula was awake. She was still lying on her bed, her black hair tousled and draped over her face. Her amber eyes were fixed blankly on the far wall of the cave. When Ty Lee knelt down beside her, Azula's stare broke, and she looked up at her. _Does she know me? _Ty Lee could find no trace of recognition in the girl's thin face. She smiled down at her nevertheless. "Hey," she said softly. "Good morning! Are you hungry, 'Zula? I've got some food for you." She set down the bowl. "Here, sit up," she said, sliding her arm around Azula's body. The former princess accepted the food, as she had the day before. Ty Lee watched as the girl ate her porridge. The meat, too, was accepted.

_This is exactly how Azula was for those first few months in prison, once she was finished screaming at me. _Ty Lee chewed her lips, remembering how lifeless and blank Azula had been. It had been many weeks. And she had gone to see the prisoner every day, talking to her and trying to cheer her up.

Ty Lee's heart sank as she watched Azula mechanically finish the strip of meat. _Can I go through all of that again? I'm...I just don't know. I was lots happier then. Am I even strong enough to do this? _She took in Azula's wasted limbs and blank eyes, and took a deep breath. _I have to. I'm all she's got, and...and she's all I've got. There's nothing else I can do. At least now I can hug her – not like it was in that horrible prison. _"Come here, 'Zula," she said gently, pulling the girl into her arms. _I haven't really got anything to talk to her about. Maybe... _She breathed deeply. "Let Ty Lee tell you a story," she said.

It was strange to sit there on the stone floor and hold Azula like a child. When the former princess was in her right mind, she didn't show much affection, and rarely expressed it physically. Now, though, she cuddled her head into Ty Lee's shoulder and lay quietly in the embrace. Ty Lee rested her cheek against the girl's black hair and closed her eyes. She knew a lot of Fire Nation stories, but for some reason, an Earth Kingdom legend came first to her mind. "Let me tell you the story of Oma and Shu," she murmured.

She told the story in a soft, almost sing-song voice – the way she would have told it to a small child. She didn't leave anything out, from the first meeting of the legendary lovers to the city that was finally built in their name. When it was over, Ty Lee fell silent. There was a long pause; she gently threaded her fingers through Azula's thick, black hair. "Maybe we can be like that someday, 'Zula," the little acrobat murmured. "Oma and Shu went through a lot before things finally worked out for them. It even looked like they might get killed a few times. They came through it all." Her arms tightened around Azula's unresisting form. "Maybe someday things will be all right," she whispered.

There was silence again. Azula didn't move; Ty Lee kissed her cheek. Then she kissed her again – and again, her lips brushing lightly across her high cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. "I love you," she said softly. "Ty Lee loves you. Don't forget that, okay?" There was still no response, although Ty Lee thought she felt the girl sigh a bit. She gave a deep sigh of her own and placed one more gentle kiss on Azula's face. "I guess I should go and do some work," she said quietly. "There's lots left to clean up, and we're going to need a lot more firewood. Why don't you lie down again? Just lie back – there's a good girl." She spread the blanket over Azula again. "I'll be back," she promised.

It was still bitterly cold outside, away from the warmth of the cave. Ty Lee's hunt for firewood proved fairly successful, at least; although the canyon didn't have too many trees, there were a fair number of low shrubs in the area. With a lot of pulling and tugging, she was able to uproot some of them and carry them back to the cave. There she chopped them into more manageable sticks with her little hatchet, and stacked them neatly against the back wall. By the time afternoon came, she'd collected quite a satisfying woodpile.

She stopped in her work to prepare a quick meal for the two of them. Shan had packed up a few cakes of very hard, dry bread for her. Breaking off two pieces with the handle of her hatchet, Ty Lee soaked them in water until they were soft enough to eat. She ate the smaller of the two herself. Then she went to where Azula lay and gave her the second. The former princess ate it quietly as Ty Lee gently stroked her hair.

The little acrobat spent the rest of the afternoon and evening cleaning up their campsite. She went to the hot spring and erased the footprints there as best she could with a branch; she swept and washed the floor of the cave again; she gathered up any rodent bones she could find and dumped them far away from their living space. With these and other such tasks she occupied herself until the sun began to set. Then she turned her attention to supper.

Azula's golden eyes rested on Ty Lee as the acrobat sifted through their food supplies. Ty Lee paused and smiled at her. There was no reaction. With a sigh, the gymnast returned to her work. She took out three strips of their remaining jerky and a small handful of dried berries. _I'll make a soup of some kind, I think. It'll be a nice change from porridge. _She eyed a brown sack and smiled a bit. _Maybe tomorrow I'll boil us some rice. _She went outside with a small bundle of wood and, setting it down, took out her firestone. Her eyes moved over the landscape before she lit their fire; she saw no movement. Ty Lee bent over the firewood and struck a spark.

The soup was hot and comforting. Ty Lee ate a bit of it, and then served out the rest for her companion. She watched over Azula as she drank it. The girl's bony fingers clutched the bowl like claws as she gulped at the warm liquid. "That's good, isn't it?" Ty Lee murmured. "We'll put some flesh back on you yet." She glanced at their stores, which suddenly seemed pitifully small. _I'll have to go look for food tomorrow, now that we've got some wood stored up. I don't know how long we're going to be here, but I'm sure we're going to need a lot more than we've got now._

Ty Lee was very tired by the time she had cleaned up the remains of their supper. She lay down thankfully and pulled Azula down to rest in her arms again. _I should really talk to her again, _she thought wearily. _I just don't have enough energy to tell her another story... _Ty Lee sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm really tired tonight, 'Zula," she whispered. "I think maybe I'll just sing you a song instead of telling you a story, okay?" She felt the former firebender cuddle against her warmth. Her heart swelled with tenderness, and she kissed the top of Azula's head. "How about I sing you that lullabye I sang for you when you were still in prison? You liked that one. I've always liked it, too..."

The cave was pitch dark, except for the flickering light from the last, dying flames of their supper fire. Ty Lee yawned and pulled the blanket up around their shoulders. She shut her eyes and began to sing softly – her voice was the only sound that broke the stillness of the night. Weariness overcame her. Soon there was silence, and the two girls lay asleep on the bosom of the Earth Kingdom canyon.


	45. Chapter 45

The following days passed much as the first two had done. Despite the occasional ache of her recently-mended bones, Ty Lee worked hard to lay in enough food and wood to last them for weeks. She wasn't certain how long they would have to stay there, but she didn't want to be stranded without any supplies. When she wasn't laboring or keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, she was with Azula. The former princess still showed no signs of recognition – or of any other emotion – but some of the sharpest angles of her bones began to soften as Ty Lee kept her warm and well-fed.

Eight days after Ty Lee had first found Azula, she spotted a group of soldiers farther down the canyon. She had been about to light their breakfast fire; the sight of movement made her abruptly drop her firestone and shrink back into the scrubby bushes that hid the mouth of the cave. She peered down the long slope from her hiding place. The group was about a mile away, moving along the far bank of the frozen river. Ty Lee thought she could count ten of them. Even at that distance, she could tell that they were dressed in the scarlet uniforms of the Fire Nation military.

There had been a fresh snowfall two days before, and Ty Lee hadn't had any reason to go down to the river since then, so she didn't think she had left any tracks down there. Up by the cave, however...she glanced uneasily at the clouds of steam billowing off the nearby hot spring. If those soldiers should decide to investigate the spring, they would certainly find tracks enough. Then she would have to defend Azula. _I'd have to kill them, _she realized. Her belly clenched. Shivering, she watched the progress of the distant soldiers closely.

An hour later, Ty Lee was still crouching amongst the bushes, her gray eyes fixed on the spot where the search party had disappeared. They hadn't strayed from the riverbank, and had vanished down the canyon, but Ty Lee was still nervous. She chewed her lips. At last, hesitantly, she turned back into the cave, taking the wood and firestone with her.

Azula was sitting in the middle of the stone floor, her arms wrapped around herself, rocking her head in meaningless patterns. The little acrobat slowly replaced the sticks on the woodpile. "We'll have to have a cold breakfast this morning, 'Zula," she said softly. "I just don't think it's safe to build a fire. You'll forgive me, won't you?" The former princess gave no sign that she heard. Ty Lee sighed softly and dug through their food supplies for something they could eat cold.

She watched nervously all that day, but the soldiers never reappeared.

The temperature dropped sharply the next day. Even tucked snugly under the blanket, Ty Lee still woke shivering. She got up and pulled on her thick cloak and mittens at once. Her breath sent out white puffs of steam, even in the comparative warmth of the cave. When she poked her head out, she saw that a thick carpet of snow had covered everything during the night. The sky was mostly clear now. A frigid wind blew crystals of ice up into her face. Chattering already, Ty Lee quickly ducked back inside. She could feel how the icy breeze was forcing its way through the bushes that shielded the mouth of their cavern.

"This won't do," she murmured. "This won't do at all..." She looked back, musing. Their blanket might block some of the wind, if they draped it across the cave entrance, but it wasn't nearly big enough. She looked out on the icy landscape again, her brow furrowing. A sheet of thick material or leather, hung across the cave mouth, would protect them from the cold, but there was no way for her to get one. There was nothing outside but stones and snow. Her jaw tightened with resolve. "Well, if there's nothing but rocks, I'll just have to use those," she said. She turned and looked to where Azula lay; the girl was unmoving, her white face relaxed in sleep. "I'll be back, 'Zula." And Ty Lee stepped out into the snow and the bitter cold.

The howling wind was coming from the north, gusting down the canyon. The gymnast trudged through the knee-deep snow to the white mound that was the pile of boulders. The crust of ice gave way beneath her hands as she burrowed. A few minutes' work uncovered one of the large stones. Ty Lee tugged and kicked at it until it rolled free of the others, then laboriously rolled it through the snow to the northern side of the cave mouth. She shoved it up against the rock wall – then she went back for another one.

After an hour's work, Ty Lee had succeeded in rolling five large stones into a sort of two-foot wall on the north side of the cavern. She stopped for a minute or two to rest. When she had caught her breath, Ty Lee began to scoop up snow in her mittened hands and pat it into the gaps between the rocks. Then she built the wall higher with more snow, packing it down tightly. Another hour or so found her putting the finishing touches on a sturdy wall nearly four feet high and eight feet long. Ty Lee stepped back and looked at it with some satisfaction. She couldn't feel most of her fingers and toes anymore, but the wall shielded their cave from the wind quite effectively. Shivering, Ty Lee turned and ducked back into their little cavern.

Azula was awake. She had gotten up, and was now kneeling in the warmest corner of the cave, rocking back and forth aimlessly, her head turning from side to side. The little acrobat pulled off her mittens as she made her way to Azula's side, then paused as she looked down. Her numbed fingers were white. Ty Lee stared down at them in alarm, wiggling them; they felt stiff. _I've got to get them warm again! _Quickly, she knelt down beside Azula and pressed her hands against the warm stone wall. The heat slowly brought her half-frozen fingers back to life, although it stung badly enough that it brought tears to her eyes.

And then – when her hands had finally thawed out, and she sat back again, limp with exhaustion from the hard morning's work – Ty Lee realized that she hadn't given Azula any breakfast, and it was already past noon. She looked at the former firebender. Azula was still rocking pointlessly, still shaking her head back and forth, still expressionless and silent and so damnably _sick, _and she, Ty Lee, was still exhausted and cold and so bloody _helpless…_

"Azula, stop it. Just stop it." Ty Lee grabbed at the girl's arms and crushed her against her chest, trying to hold her still. The rocking stopped, but Azula continued to turn her head from side to side. "Stop it!" Ty Lee was crying now, groping for the girl's dark hair and pinning the twitching head against her own shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Why can't you just snap out of it? I need help, Azula. I need you! I can't do this by myself anymore. Please…" There was no response. Despair swept over Ty Lee like a flood. _I'm alone. I'm…I'm completely alone. _She sobbed bitterly, rocking Azula like a baby.

The storm of weeping raged for some time. At last, Ty Lee loosened her grip and sat back, wiping her damp face on her sleeves. Azula's amber eyes stared at her as lifelessly as before. The little acrobat choked back another sob. Slowly, she drew her back into her arms. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I know it isn't your fault. I didn't mean it. I'm just so tired and lonely, and I don't know how to help you." She felt the black head nestle against the side of her neck, and her heart broke. Ty Lee pulled back so she could kiss the girl's cheek. "I still love you," she said softly. "You know your Ty loves you, right?"

The golden eyes peered at her in mild confusion. Then, suddenly – like the sun breaking through the clouds – Azula's pale lips curved upward. Ty Lee's eyes widened with the shock of it. After so many days of seeing nothing but blank apathy in the face of the former princess, the tiny smile almost seemed like an alien thing. Astonished, the acrobat slowly raised her hand to rest it against Azula's cheek. "That's right," she whispered, as joy welled up inside her. "That's right, 'Zula. You know who loves you, don't you?" Her own face broke into a wide grin. "You know who loves you." For a few seconds more, Azula gazed at her with that faint smile. Then it faded. The amber eyes glazed over again. As quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Ty Lee was disappointed for a moment. Then she smiled again and hugged Azula close. "That's good," she murmured. "That's good, 'Zula. Just a little at a time, right? Baby steps." She kissed the porcelain forehead. "How about I tell you another story before I fix us some lunch? Maybe you'd like that." And as cold as it was, Ty Lee felt quite warm as she recited her fairy tale. It was a deeper warmth than any that could be bestowed by blanket or fire.

It was the warm glow of hope.


	46. Chapter 46

Despite Ty Lee's hopes, the weather stayed bitterly cold. At least it was more comfortable in the cave now that she'd made the wall, especially after she built it another foot higher. They were eating better, too. She had used a length of cord to fashion two snares. Over the course of five days, she'd caught two white rabbit-jerboas, which the girls had eaten with relish.

Azula seemed to be waking from her stupor, at least a little. She watched Ty Lee a bit more, and her amber eyes didn't seem quite so empty. She still didn't speak, though, and the little acrobat couldn't coax more than a couple of smiles out of her over the course of the week. Even so, Ty Lee saw nothing that might crush her hope. "You'll come back to yourself again," she told the silent girl one evening, rocking her in her arms. "One of these days, you'll wake up. And you'll remember who I am, and who you are...did you know you're a princess, 'Zula?" She stroked Azula's forehead, smiling down into the mild golden eyes. "You are. And you're beautiful, and you're really, really smart. And you used to be one of the best firebenders in the world. Do you remember that?" Azula's expression didn't change, and Ty Lee sighed and smiled. "You'll remember," she said gently. "You will."

They were sitting close to the mouth of the cave, huddled by the cheerful flames of their fire. Ty Lee looked out over the canyon, then up at the stars overhead. They glittered, serene and austere, like jewels of ice in the blue-black sky. Their danger seemed far away in the twilit peace. Ty Lee was content. "This isn't so bad, you know." She smiled down at Azula again. "If we just fixed up that cave a little more, I could be happy here for a long time. Of course, it'll be a lot better once you've remembered stuff again, but this really isn't so bad." The former princess leaned against Ty Lee and rested her dark head on her shoulder. "I love you, too," the acrobat murmured, then sighed. "I wonder just how much you understand?"

The next morning dawned, cold and gray. The clear sky of the evening before had given way to a canopy of dark, brooding clouds. Ty Lee eyed them suspiciously as she prepared breakfast. It looked as if it was going to snow again. She sighed, wondering if she should postpone her planned trip down the valley to check her snares. Another rabbit-jerboa would have been welcome, but she didn't want to risk being stranded somewhere outside during a storm. She carried the porridge she had just made into the cave and gave Azula her breakfast. "Maybe I'll stick around here today," she said out loud. "What do you think, 'Zula? I think I'll stay here instead of going to check the traps. I can fix that hole in your sleeve, maybe." The former princess looked at her, wrinkled her brow, and then turned her attention back to her porridge. The expression seemed familiar – it was how Azula had sometimes looked at Ty Lee when the little acrobat interrupted her train of thought. Ty Lee smiled to herself and ate her own breakfast.

When they had eaten, the acrobat decided to go and bathe in the hot spring. It had been a couple of days since she'd had an opportunity to wash, and she wanted to do it before the next snow hit. She glanced back at Azula. The girl had finished eating, and was now turning the empty bowl mindlessly in her hands. She would probably continue this for at least a couple of hours, Ty Lee thought. Reassured, the little acrobat stepped from the mouth of the cave.

She had only taken about five steps toward the spring when something caught her attention. Ty Lee paused, turning southward. There was movement down in the canyon. She could see what looked like a cloud of...well, of _dust._ Her brow furrowed in confusion. "That's impossible," she whispered. "The ground's all under two feet of snow!" Ty Lee turned and crouched down, straining her eyes. The cloud grew nearer. Now she could make out how huge the thing really was. The dust by itself was probably being thrown close to fifty feet in the air, and Ty Lee could see the trees by the riverbank being thrown around as if they were twigs! She tried to make out what was causing all the commotion. Whatever it was, it was hidden in amongst all the flying dirt and stones and snow and tree trunks. Bewildered, Ty Lee followed the movement with her eyes. And then, suddenly, it stopped.

Blinking, Ty Lee peered down at the distant river. She could still see trees swaying from the impact of whatever-it-was, and the dust cloud was in evidence above, but there was nothing below it – simply nothing. It was as if nothing had happened.

Ty Lee wasn't sure whether to be afraid or relieved. She shifted uneasily, her gray eyes still searching the landscape below. There was still no movement. Could it have been an animal of some sort? She thought she could remember hearing about giant, earthbending creatures that lived in the Earth Kingdom. What had they been called - ? Badger-moles, she thought. Ty Lee bit her lip as she slowly rose to her feet. She slipped back over to the cave with some vague idea of checking on Azula again.

"Hey, Bubbles."

The voice came out of nowhere! Ty Lee uttered a little scream of shock and fright, spinning around; her fists came up reflexively. She had a moment's confused impression of the snow beneath her feet suddenly gaping like a hungry mouth. Then she was trapped to her waist in the frozen earth. With another cry of bewildered fear, she gaped up at the figure that stood over her, which had seemingly materialized out of thin air. "T-Toph!" she managed, when she could finally breathe again.

The earthbender grinned, obviously pleased with herself. She was dressed in her usual clothes, with the addition of a thick, fur-lined cloak. She carried an impossibly-huge pack on her back. "Hey, Bubbles," she said again, thrusting her hands into her pockets with exaggerrated carelessness. "Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"

"I..." Ty Lee opened and closed her mouth several times in her confusion. "Toph, what...what are you doing here? Did Zuko send you?"

At this, Toph's black brows lowered, and her milky eyes flashed a little. "No one 'sends' me anywhere," she said, a trifle coolly. "I go where I decide to go, period." She turned her head so that her ear was aimed in the direction of the cave. "You've got someone with you, Bubbles. Is that Azula?"

The words made panic well up in Ty Lee's heart. She struggled hard against the earth that held her. Without saying a word, Toph clenched her fist slightly; the acrobat felt the grip on her legs tighten. She stopped fighting with a despairing groan. "Yes." Then, with a burst of desperation, "Don't hurt her, Toph! Please don't."

"What, you think I'm a thug?" The earthbender shot her a crooked grin. "I just want to be sure Fiery Britches isn't going to jump me while I'm preoccupied with you." She turned her blind eyes back to Ty Lee. "It doesn't really feel like Azula to me. You wouldn't lie to me, now, would you?"

"She's sick," Ty Lee said meekly. "She's...well, she hasn't said one word since I found her. And I don't think she really knows who I am, or where she is, or even who she is."

"Huh." Toph was silent for a moment or two. Then she shrugged. "I just came to talk, Bubbles. So I'll let you up, if you promise not to pummel me." The little acrobat gave her word at once, and the earthbender tapped her heel against the ground. The death grip on Ty Lee's legs abruptly released, and she found herself sprawling in the snow at Toph's feet. She picked herself up slowly, brushing the dirt and ice crystals off herself. Then she hesitated. "I'm not really sure how Azula's going to react to you," she said. "But maybe you better come in, if we're going to talk. It's kind of cold out to talk out here."

"Fine. You go in first." Toph's expression was calm, but Ty Lee knew she was being cautious. _Guess I don't blame her. Azula was really dangerous when she was in her right mind._ She turned without a word and slipped inside the cave, followed by the earthbender.

The former princess was still kneeling where Ty Lee had left her, spinning her bowl mechanically between her hands. The little acrobat glanced briefly at Toph before moving to Azula's side and taking the bowl gently from her white fingers. "We have company, 'Zula," she said quietly, trying to catch the attention of the unfocused amber eyes. "Do you remember Toph? She was the Avatar's earthbending master. Remember?" Azula still didn't look at her. Ty Lee caught the girl's face between her palms and peered into her eyes. "Azula," she said insistently. "Can you hear me?" Finally, there was a flicker of intelligence, and the former firebender blinked at her. "We have company," Ty Lee said again, moving back a bit and giving her a reassuring smile. "See?" And she moved aside so that Azula could see Toph.

For a moment, there was no reaction. Then Azula's amber eyes widened, and her jaw began to shake. Ty Lee could feel the girl's body beginning to tremble. Her heart in her throat, the little acrobat clasped Azula's arm. "It's okay," she said gently. "Toph's just here to talk, 'Zula. It's okay." The girl cringed away from Ty Lee's touch and uttered a pitiful whimper. "It's okay. It's okay, 'Zula. No one's going to hurt you, all right?" Abruptly, Azula fairly dove into Ty Lee's arms, hiding her face in the acrobat's shoulder like a terrified toddler.

It took a few minutes for the girl's frightened whimpers to die down. Then Ty Lee looked up at the blind earthbender. Toph was waiting silently, her arms folded. Her expression was solemn. As if sensing Ty Lee's gaze, the younger girl turned her head. "Will she be all right?" she asked.

Azula's body flinched in Ty Lee's arms at the sound of Toph's voice. The acrobat stroked her back comfortingly. "She'll be fine," she said quietly, glancing at the earthbender again. "Azula was scared of me when she first saw me, too. Just don't make any sudden moves or anything, and she should relax." She turned back to Azula. "You're all right," she murmured. "You're all right, 'Zula. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

When she'd finally succeeded in calming Azula down, Ty Lee turned wearily back to her unexpected guest. Toph was sitting cross-legged against the far wall of the cave, waiting patiently, her pack sitting on the ground beside her. Ty Lee sat down facing her and waited for her to speak. The earthbender turned her blind eyes in Azula's direction. "So she's been like this since you found her, you said. How long's that, now?"

"A little over two weeks," Ty Lee said cautiously. She wasn't certain how much Toph knew about exactly how she had escaped from the Fire Nation embassy. "Before that, I was...healing."

"Oh, yeah? Just floating around healing somewhere, huh?" Toph's pink lips curved a little bit. The amusement was fleeting. "So fill me in. People've told me Azula went bonkers, but no one's really been very specific. Exactly what's wrong with her? She feels...weird. Like she's a vase that got broken and glued back together wrong."

Ty Lee shook her head. "I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor," she said. "She was different before. She said a lot of stuff about her mom and dad, and she'd have these violent fits, and said she saw things. I'm not sure what she saw, though. Her mom, for sure. And she was sure everybody was out to get her. But now...now, I really don't know." She glanced over at the former princess. Azula was huddled against the back wall of the cave, rocking and whimpering softly to herself. "She never talks at all. She doesn't seem to know anything anymore. She'll just stare at nothing and rock back and forth for hours. She'll smile at me sometimes, and she likes when I hug her, but...it's like she's a baby, or something." Ty Lee hung her head mournfully. "She's not my 'Zula anymore." There was silence for a while. "What do you want, Toph?"

The earthbender shrugged. "To satisfy my curiosity, I guess," she said. "I wanted to know what was really going on with you and your princess. There's been a fair bit of commotion happening since you disappeared, y'know."

"I bet." Ty Lee couldn't help but grin a little.

"Yeah. It's gone pretty sour for some people." Toph lay back, putting her feet up. "Like Mai, for example," she said casually.

It was as if someone had doused Ty Lee with a bucket of cold water. The acrobat had to swallow a couple of times before she regained the use of her own voice. "Mai?" she managed. "What...what's happened to Mai? Is she all right?"

"Nothing's happened to her. Not yet, anyway." The earthbender rubbed absently at one of her bare toes. "Sparky's convinced that she broke you out of jail, like you broke out Azula before. He kept her in her quarters for a few days at first. She was okay then – I went to see her a couple times. But then he moved her to an actual cell, and he won't let anyone see her anymore. Your countrymen are closing ranks pretty good right now. And Zuko's not telling anyone anything."

Ty Lee's eyes filled with tears. She clenched both her fists. "He...he better not have hurt her," she burst out. "She's...Mai wasn't...!"

"But she did bust you out. Right?"

For a moment, the little acrobat wanted to deny it. Then she deflated, slumping down into a miserable little ball. "Yeah."

"I figured so." Toph lazily sat up. "The three of you were always pretty tight." There was a pause. "So what are you planning on doing now, Bubbles? Doesn't seem to me that Princess Fru...ahem! – That Azula's in any shape to be traveling. And you two are awfully close to Gaoling here. It's only luck that Zuko's boys haven't stumbled across you yet."

"I don't know," Ty Lee admitted, still shaken and troubled by the news about Mai. "I've just been trying to keep Azula warm and fed. There's nowhere to go. I don't know what to do."

"Okay." The blind earthbender nodded slowly. "Because I've got an idea you might find interesting." She stopped, cocking an eyebrow at the acrobat. "What do you think of Iroh?" Ty Lee blinked in puzzlement. "You know – Azula's uncle?"

"I know who he is." Ty Lee frowned a bit. "I think he's...I don't know. I like him. He seems like a nice man. He gave me tea a few times...why?"

Toph nodded briskly. "All right, then. Because I think he might help. And Aang too, maybe." Ty Lee stared at her in growing bewilderment. "Well, this mess needs to be straightened out somehow, doesn't it? And everyone's being really dumb about the whole thing. So maybe Twinkletoes and Iroh can hammer out something everyone can live with."

The little acrobat's brows knitted. "Why would you help us?" she whispered.

"I'm not necessarily helping _you_," Toph said calmly. "The whole thing's just getting stupid. It's taking up way too much of my time, and it's turning Sparky almost as loopy as Fiery Britches, here. I want it all done with and out of my hair so I can go back to stomping people at Earth Rumble." She got up and grinned down at her. "So you don't mind me bringing in Iroh and Aang, then?"

Ty Lee bit her lip. "I guess I don't have much choice," she said quietly. "And...well, if you think maybe they can save 'Zula..."

"I didn't say that," Toph said cautiously. "I mean, maybe they can, if she ought to be saved. But I don't know." She turned away. "You can keep my pack," she said, tossing the words back over her shoulder. "I brought enough for a couple weeks, since I thought you'd at least be smart enough to get far away from Gaoling. But I won't need it, now." She strode for the cave mouth. "I'll be back in a few days, Bubbles. And I'll bring company." With that, she was gone.

Scrambling up, Ty Lee went outside to look. A light snow was just beginning to fall. Look as she might, she could find no sign of Toph anywhere. But off to the south she could see that the cloud of dust had reappeared. It was moving away from her at great speed, following the dark line of the frozen river.


	47. Chapter 47

Ty Lee really wished that Toph would be more specific.

It had been bad enough living from day to day with Zuko's search parties practically breathing down her neck. Even that general threat had stolen much of her joy. But now there was a threat made absolutely certain. They had been found, and their captors – however benevolent – were coming. Except that Ty Lee didn't know exactly _when. _"In a few days," Toph had said. But how many was "a few?" They'd already been waiting for three, and this was the afternoon of the fourth day.

Azula had not been doing well. Whether this was due to Ty Lee's tension or to some natural turn in the course of her mental illness, Ty Lee didn't know. The night after Toph had visited them, Azula had started screaming sometime after midnight. There had been no words – only piercing shrieks. Whether they had been of fear or fury, the little acrobat couldn't tell; Azula's face had been far too contorted for her to read. The girl had sobbed and cried out in Ty Lee's arms for hours on end. Only when her physical strength had finally given out did she collapse onto her caretaker's breast and grow silent. She had fallen into a troubled doze soon afterwards.

More odd fits had taken Azula over the course of the next few days. She never sat still any longer, except in sleep. She twitched and rocked and mumbled to herself, her teeth grinding together until the sound of it made Ty Lee wince. Any sleep she got was troubled, as well. Although she didn't scream again like she had that first night, she woke Ty Lee many times with her sobbing. The little acrobat would hold her gently and kiss away the tears.

They were sitting together again as the cold afternoon sun shone outside. About an hour beforehand, Ty Lee had tucked the girl into bed for a nap. It hadn't been very successful, as Azula had woken in tears less than twenty minutes later. Wearily – for Ty Lee hadn't slept at all the night before – the acrobat had once again drawn the weeping girl into her arms to comfort her. Now Ty Lee was sitting on their bed of sticks, her back braced against the stone wall of the cavern. Azula lay against her, silent, her brow pressed into the side of Ty Lee's neck. It was one of the rare moments when the former firebender wasn't rocking back and forth in a meaningless ritual of motion.

Exhausted both in mind and body, Ty Lee closed her eyes and rested her head back against the stone behind her. She moved her hand up to weave her fingers into Azula's dark hair. As tired as she was, she still felt a glow of tenderness when Azula cuddled against her. She sighed and tightened her grip protectively. "I've tried to keep you safe, 'Zula," she murmured. And she had – she had done her best. From the countless hours she had spent in Azula's prison cell, to the desperate rescue from the tower, to their flight across the Earth Kingdom; from the days she herself had spent in jail, to the dreadful hours of torture, and finally to the weeks of hard work and tender nursing of Azula in this forsaken place, Ty Lee had tried to protect her friend and would-be lover.

Ty Lee stared up at the low ceiling of the cave, her fingers still idly caressing Azula's head. Such a muddled mess the last couple of months had been – of hope and despair and pain and joy and terror and weariness, and the agony of choice! At least it was going to end soon. Once Toph returned, and Iroh and the Avatar had been enlisted, she and Azula would probably have to go back to Gaoling as prisoners. And then...

Then they would both have to face the judgment of Zuko. Ty Lee shivered as she remembered the cold anger in his face the last time she had seen him. Even his wife had been unable to shield her from the full brunt of his wrath! He had shown her no mercy. What possible hope could there be for Azula? –Especially now that he had even thrown Mai into prison! Tears stung Ty Lee's eyes, and she bent to kiss Azula's lips. "I'm so sorry if I've failed you," she whispered. "I did my best, 'Zula. I really did. I've done everything I could think of to save you! Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe I'm just not strong enough and smart enough." The former princess opened her golden eyes and looked into Ty Lee's gray ones. They were calm for the moment, untroubled by the storm of fear and pain that had so recently clouded them. Ty Lee gave a choked sob. "I'm sorry."

A shadow darkened Azula's face. Ty Lee quickly closed her eyes. _I can't talk like this. She reacts to how I'm feeling. If I cry, it'll upset her all over again. _"How 'bout I tell you another story, 'Zula?" she said, forcing as much cheerfulness into her tone as she could muster. She opened her eyes again and smiled into Azula's worried face. "You like stories, don't you? I'll tell you the one about your great-great-great...uh, your ancestor, Fire Lord Azel, and how he saved the Fire Nation from the Earth Kingdom invasion. Remember that story? It happened while Kyoshi was Avatar."

The darkness seemed to leave Azula's golden eyes as Ty Lee spoke. She nestled her head contentedly against the acrobat's shoulder. Ty Lee sighed softly and began. "Once, the Fire Nation was small. We hadn't yet begun the Hundred Year War, and the Earth Kingdom was very strong..."

This was a story that had been told to Ty Lee countless times as a child. The accounts of the Earth Kingdom's war crimes had been hammered into the heads of all Fire Nation children, actually. She had been no exception. Her gaze grew far away as she spoke. Ty Lee could almost see the places where she'd been told the story: first at her father's knee, back when she'd had only four sisters; and then, later, in the classrooms at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls, seated between the haughty Azula and the reserved Mai. Those had been more innocent times. Her voice grew softer at the memories. "...And the Earth Kingdom ships landed. There were thousands of earthbenders on them! They marched on the capital city. The people said that their feet shook the ground like an earthquake..."

That put Ty Lee in mind of Toph. If those earthbending warriors had been anything like young Toph Bei Fong, the acrobat thought she could see why they had been so terrifying. She smiled a little as she continued the story. Her hand stroked Azula's back absently as she spoke. She could feel the girl wriggling a little closer. "But Fire Lord Azel had set a trap for the invaders," she went on. "Just as they entered the city, the Fire Nation attacked! They had made metal war machines, kind of like the tanks that we have now. The earthbenders couldn't stop them."

Odd how her perspective on this story had changed over the years. When Ty Lee had been a little girl, she had thought it frightening and terribly exciting. She had squealed with glee when her father had described the defeat of the invading force. Later, in her earliest teens, she had felt the tale grim and inspiring, and had swelled with pride at the victory of her beloved Nation. But now – now, with a few years of war experience and travel under her belt...

"...And so the Fire Nation was saved," she ended quietly. She fell silent. Azula, still resting against her, didn't stir.

_And now, maybe the old stories make me feel kind of sick. _Ty Lee thought of the horrible things her own country had done during the War. They made the atrocities committed by the Earth Kingdom look pale and benign in comparison! She looked down into Azula's sleepy face. _I guess maybe I understand why so many people hate you so much, 'Zula. You're the symbol of all of those hundred horrible years to them, even though you didn't have anything to do with it._

_They're still wrong, though. And I still stand by you._

And Ty Lee kissed Azula's cheek, clasped her protectively against her breast, and glared out at the hostile world in defiance.


	48. Chapter 48

There were exactly fifty-seven and a half stones in the far wall, thirty-nine in the floor, and forty-two and a half in the wall to Mai's right. She hadn't bothered to count the stones in the wall that her cot was bolted to, since she suspected that it probably had the same number as the far wall. Besides, she was saving that for the day (which she suspected was now quickly approaching) when she couldn't bear to count the rocks that made up the other parts of her cell one more time. What she was going to do after that, she had no idea. Begin making suicide plans, maybe.

Mai rubbed her tired eyes with the heels of her hands and lay back on her cot, staring up at the rotting beams that made up the ceiling of her prison. There were eight of them, and there were seventeen knots in the wood. She often thought that sixteen would have been a better number – or eighteen, maybe. Seventeen just didn't seem logical. Or maybe it was appropriate? One knot for every year she had been alive so far... Mai knew, of course, that none of this made any sense at all, but she couldn't seem to stop it. Maybe she was trying to keep herself from thinking about other things.

It had been almost exactly two weeks since she had been brought downstairs and locked into one of the holding cells. Tomorrow, in fact, would be the fourteenth day. _Fourteen days. Three hundred thirty-six hours. Twenty thousand one hundred sixty minutes. _She winced as her head started to throb. _Seventeen years. Two hundred and four months. Can't really calculate the days...let's see, that would be seventeen times twenty-eight, plus..._

All of this wasn't working, of course. She still knew there would only be another ten minutes or so before they came for her again.

Zuko had held her in her quarters for a few days while he consulted with some of the members of his advisory council. He'd even sent a hawk or two to ask the advice of some of his advisors who were still back in the Fire Nation. Then, on their advice, he had moved Mai down into a real cell. Ever since, she'd been on a schedule. They would let her sleep for about two hours at night. Then she would be brought to the interrogation room, where soldiers would stand her against the wall and fire questions at her for six hours, whether she answered them or not. They would return her to her cell for thirty minutes, during which she could either sleep again or eat. Then it was back to the interrogation room for another five hours of questioning. Then another half-hour of rest or food; then another four hours of interrogation; an hour of rest or food; five hours of questions; and then, finally, two hours of standing against the wall in complete silence.

If she didn't eat, Mai could manage about five hours of sleep every twenty-four hours.

She knew what they were doing, of course. They wanted her to tell them where she had sent Ty Lee. They wanted Liu and Shan's names. They were wearing her down by depriving her of sleep and food, and by the constant barrage of questions and shouting. It was working, too. Her legs and back were weak from standing still for so many hours at a time, and her mind was...well, frankly, she was beginning to lose it. It would be such a relief to just tell them what they wanted to know. Then she could rest...

"No!" The word burst from Mai's mouth. She sat up abruptly, her teeth clenching, and turned her narrow eyes to the bars that formed the fourth wall of her cell. The guards outside were impassive. She sighed, leaning back against the wall. "No," she whispered again. She began to gather her strength for the coming hours of questioning.

None of Mai's interrogators ever laid a hand on her, of course, except in restraint. Her rank did count for something; she didn't have to endure the kind of torture that had been meted out on poor Ty Lee, for example. But Mai thought this mental torment was bad enough. She rubbed her eyes again. _Ty Lee's probably long gone by now, _a little voice reminded her. _She wouldn't have stayed with Liu and Shan any longer than she had to. She'll have gone to look for Azula a while ago. So if I give her up now, it would probably be okay..._

_No. Stop it. Just stop it! _And Mai closed her eyes, trying to rest for at least a little while before she no longer could. The metallic clang of her cell door opening crushed any hope of that a few seconds later. Schooling her face into cold defiance, the Fire Lady rose to her feet and faced the soldiers who had come for her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It wasn't until the evening of the fifth day after Toph's visit that Ty Lee finally spotted the Avatar's flying bison in the distance. She and Azula were sitting by the fire while the little acrobat prepared their evening meal. The sight of Appa made her stop in the act of stirring their pot of stew. Her heart leaped into her throat. Swallowing hard, she glanced at Azula. The former firebender was sitting cross-legged by the flames, her hands resting palm-up on her lap. Her fringe of dark hair hid her face. "Looks like we're gonna have company for supper tonight, 'Zula," Ty Lee said, as calmly as she could. She added more water and the remainder of their cooked rabbit-jerboa meat to the pot. She wondered how Azula was going to react to their guests. She'd been terrified at the sight of Toph, after all – how would she act when she saw Aang, who had taken her firebending only about a year ago?

This was assuming that she even understood that much.

Ty Lee followed the graceful descent of the flying bison with her eyes. It landed a few hundred yards down the slope that led up to their cave. Slowly (so as not to startle Azula), the little acrobat took the pot of stew off the fire and rose to her feet. She could see Aang's distinctive orange and yellow robes as he hopped down from his perch. Toph and Iroh were easily distinguishable, too. But then a fourth person climbed down. It took Ty Lee a moment to recognize her. "Katara," she whispered. "They brought...I wonder why she came?"

As the acrobat watched, Aang took Katara's arm, and the two of them made their way toward the cave. Toph and Iroh made no move to leave Appa. Nervously, Ty Lee moved back to stand beside the oblivious Azula. There was silence until the Avatar had almost reached the fire. Then, releasing Katara's arm, Aang smiled and bowed to Ty Lee. The gesture was so polite and natural that the little acrobat found herself returning it without thinking. "Good evening," Aang said. "I haven't seen you since the last time we went gliding together, Ty Lee."

Whatever greeting Ty Lee had been expecting, this wasn't it. She returned his smile tentatively. "Yeah. That was fun." She fidgeted a bit. "I think I might have wrecked the glider you gave me the last time I used it, though."

"That's too bad. Maybe the Mechanist would make you a new one." The boy's gray eyes took in the scene. "I'm sorry – it looks like we've interrupted your supper."

"No," Ty Lee said softly, with a quick glance down at Azula. The girl hadn't so much as twitched. "I can make enough for all of us, if you'd like. There isn't much bread, but I've got more than enough stew."

"We've got bread with us," Aang said agreeably. "I'm sure we can all share." He paused, looking at the unresponsive Azula. He seemed a little hesitant. "Toph mentioned Azula isn't doing too well," he said slowly. "She thought Katara and I should take a look at her before we talk about anything." Uneasily, Ty Lee looked at the waterbender. Katara's blue eyes met hers coldly. Her tan face was as hard as flint; it was blatantly obvious that she didn't want to be there. The little acrobat glanced back at the Avatar. One of her hands drifted protectively to Azula's shoulder. "We won't hurt her." Aang's smile was gentle and sincere. "Trust me, Ty Lee?"

"Okay." Ty Lee nodded, after another uncertain glance at Katara. "I trust you. But Azula might...well, I don't know. She can get violent, and things..."

"We can handle it." Aang moved forward to where Azula was sitting and knelt down in front of her so he could look into her face. "Come on, Katara." The waterbender gave Ty Lee one more pointed look before going to him. Her distaste was visible as she uncorked her waterskin. Nervously, Ty Lee watched as Katara drew some of the liquid from her flask. Balancing the spinning globe of water expertly between her hands, Katara leaned forward and touched her fingertips to the sides of Azula's black head. The shimmering liquid vanished as it sank into Azula's skin.

There was a tense pause. Even Aang looked a bit concerned. Katara, however, paid no attention to anything but her work. Her dark brows lowered in concentration as she drew her hands gently over the former firebender's scalp. At one point Azula suddenly tensed and began to squirm. Before Ty Lee could react, however, Aang took the girl's white hands in his and said something to her in a low voice. To the acrobat's amazement, the former princess relaxed again. Silence fell, and Katara resumed whatever it was that she was doing.

Finally, after maybe twenty minutes of this, the waterbender took her hands from Azula's head. She turned to Aang. "There's not a whole lot more I can do," she said quietly. "I've taken care of whatever I could find that was physically wrong, but I'm pretty sure this sickness isn't in her body."

"Thanks, Katara." He smiled gravely, then peered once more into the former firebender's eyes. Ty Lee couldn't see her face – she shifted nervously. "Azula, can you hear me?" Aang's voice was soft and insistent.

To Ty Lee's utter astonishment, Azula's head came up. The amber eyes were still a little glazed, but she searched the Avatar's face with every appearance of understanding. Her black brows lowered a bit. "I...remember you." Her voice was quiet, as if it came from a great distance. "You're the one my brother was looking for."

"That's right. I'm Aang." The Avatar smiled.

"I've seen you," Azula muttered, lowering her gaze again. She rocked from side to side a few times, shaking her head. "I've seen you before. You rode on a dragon once. You were an old man." Her thin body shuddered. Wresting her hands from his, Azula wrapped her arms around her own body and whimpered. "Why can't you leave me alone? Why do you have to torture me? All of you...the bear, and the dragon, and...and the woman with the fans, and that badger-mole with the glowing eyes. Just...go away. Leave me alone!" And her words faded into soft sobbing.

Katara shook her head grimly at this, and Ty Lee bit her lips. Aang gazed at Azula for several minutes, tapping his fingers against his chin. "I'll leave you alone for now, until I know what to do," he agreed quietly. "But I'm here to help you, Azula, whether you believe that or not." There was an audible snort from the waterbender's direction; Aang ignored it. He turned his mild gray eyes to Ty Lee. "Maybe you'd better put her to bed," he said. "I think she's pretty tired."

"Okay," Ty Lee faltered. "She...hasn't had any supper yet..."

"It'll be okay for tonight," Aang said firmly. "She'll need rest."

Without another word of protest, Ty Lee stepped forward and gently grasped Azula's arm. "Come on, 'Zula," she said quietly. "Let's put you to bed, okay?" The former princess shuddered at her touch, but allowed herself to be coaxed to her feet. Ty Lee slid her arm around the girl's slim waist. "Come on. This way. Then you can sleep."

Azula peered up at Ty Lee as the little acrobat tucked the blanket around her. The white brow wrinkled. "Ty?" A ripple of joy ran deliciously down Ty Lee's spine at the sound of her own name finally passing Azula's lips. She laid a hand on the girl's cheek and smiled down at her. There was confusion in the golden eyes. "You'll make them go away, won't you?"

Ty Lee didn't know if Azula was referring to their actual guests or to some phantasms that only she could see, but at that moment, she didn't really care. She bent down and kissed Azula's trembling lips. "Of course I will," she said softly. "I won't let anybody hurt you, 'Zula." Some of the fear left the girl's face. After a few minutes of comforting, the former firebender finally closed her eyes and slept. Ty Lee kissed the girl's cheek. "Just call if you need me," she whispered. Then, rising and dusting off the knees of her trousers, the little acrobat made her way back outside.

Toph and Iroh had made their way to the campsite, and were sitting quietly with Aang opposite to the cave mouth. It seemed that Katara had taken over the making of their supper. She had moved the stew pot back over the coals and was stirring its contents. Ty Lee looked over at Aang. He smiled gravely and inclined his head to her; the dark blue of his tattoo stood in stark contrast to his shaven scalp. "Come talk with us, Ty Lee," he said, motioning. The little acrobat knelt down a few feet from them, folding her hands neatly in her lap. Her gray eyes were solemn as she waited for them to speak.

Shifting himself a little, Iroh cleared his throat. Ty Lee's gaze quickly dropped under his; she felt like a scolded child before he had even spoken. "It seems you have chosen an interesting path, Ty Lee," he said calmly. "You never struck me as the kind who would align herself with Azula against the rest of the world, and even against Mai."

She looked at him through her lashes. His expression was inscrutable. "I wasn't against Mai, General Iroh," she said quietly. "I was never against Mai. She'd tell you that herself."

"Hm." She thought Iroh's eyes twinkled just a bit. "Well, be that as it may." He clasped his hands solemnly over his protruding belly. "I'm sure you know that my nephew is looking for you." Ty Lee closed her eyes and nodded. She couldn't help but remember those hours she'd spent in the interrogation room. Her fingers ached at the memory. "You'll be facing some serious charges," Iroh said gravely. "Many counts of murder, and treason, and a rather large theft, and jailbreak – twice, now."

Ty Lee nodded. "Yes, sir," she said meekly. "But I never killed anybody."

"No. Lady Mai did mention that you didn't." There was a pause. He seemed to be taking her measure; Ty Lee sat quietly under the scrutiny. "Young Toph tells me that she thinks I ought to try to help you and my niece. Now, you know that I am quite devoted to my nephew. It would take something quite convincing to turn me against him. How convincing are you, Ty Lee?"

There was more to the question than met the eye, Ty Lee knew – but she didn't know what it was. Not for the first time, the little acrobat cursed her own lack of brilliance. "I don't know, General," she said in a small voice. "And I'm not really sure what you mean. I'm not trying to turn anybody into anything. I just don't want Azula to get hurt."

He nodded grimly. "But doesn't she deserve to get hurt, Ty Lee?" he asked quietly.

The acrobat thought about those twelve dead soldiers. Her stomach constricted. "I...don't know," she admitted, as tears welled up. "Maybe. But...but Zuko did horrible things to her! And she can't even defend herself."

"Then you would still defend her, even if she deserves whatever the Fire Lord is planning?"

Ty Lee was afraid. All four of her guests were formidable benders – she herself was tired and worn, hardly in top form. If they should decide to attack, Ty Lee doubted she could put up much of a fight. She glanced back at the cave where she had left Azula, then turned her gaze back to Iroh's calm visage. Her fists clenched. "Yes, sir."

There was silence for a while, broken only by the crackling of burning wood. Then he nodded slowly. "Good to know," he said congenially, and looked over at Katara. The waterbender was watching the scene coolly. "That food smells delicious, young Katara, and this old man hasn't eaten since we left Gaoling. Why don't we eat now, and continue talking about this later?"

These words relieved much of the tension. Ty Lee was glad to have the spotlight moved off her. She ate in silence what Katara gave her – a bowl of the stew and half of a round loaf. Her visitors made small talk with each other as they took their suppers. After the meal, it was decided that everyone was too tired to really discuss things. Aang smiled at Ty Lee. "Why don't we all get some rest?" he suggested. "We can decide what we're going to do in the morning. There's no hurry."

"That would be all right," the little acrobat agreed gratefully. She hesitated. "I...don't know if there's enough room in the cave for everybody..."

"We'll sleep out here," Katara said flatly. Her face was still stony. "It's not that cold out tonight anyway, and we've got Appa."

"Okay." Ty Lee glanced at Toph, who still hadn't said much. The blind earthbender shrugged and shot her a crooked grin. "Well, good night, then..." And she made her way back into the cave.

Azula was still sound asleep. The gymnast crept under the blanket beside her, pulling her unresisting form against herself. Azula murmured, burrowing her head into Ty Lee's chest – she didn't wake. Ty Lee closed her eyes. She desperately hoped that this wasn't their last night together, even while something inside her warned her that it was.


	49. Chapter 49

It was pitch dark when Ty Lee was awakened by soft whimpers. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and hugged Azula with her free arm; she could feel the girl's body shaking with little sobs. "What is it, 'Zula?" she whispered. "What's the matter?" She reached up and wiped the tears from the pale cheeks.

"He's here again." Azula's voice quivered. "The old man with the dragon. He's here." She buried her face in Ty Lee's hair. "He won't ever leave me alone. Can't you see him? Look. He's there...he's outside the cave..." Groggily, Ty Lee propped herself up on her elbow and looked out, trying to see what had frightened her.

It was very late, and there was no moon. There was, however, a strange, bluish glow coming from the mouth of the cave. Blinking, Ty Lee squinted at it. After a moment, she made out the silhouette of Aang. The boy was sitting cross-legged with his back to her; his tattoos were glowing. _So that's what Azula's scared about. _"It's just Aang," the acrobat mumbled, lying back down. "He's meditating. Sometimes his tattoos do that when he meditates."

"No. Not the boy." The former princess was shaking in every limb. "There are two of them. They're plotting against me! He'll tell his dragon to burn me." She uttered a hysterical sob. "Make them go away!" Ty Lee peered out again, but still saw nothing but the silent Avatar. Azula's eyes were wild with fright. "There's another man now, too – a man wearing a wolf-skin. You see them, don't you? You see them!"

Very gently, the little acrobat put her arms around Azula's shoulders and pulled her back down onto their bed. The former princess tried to squirm free and look at the cave mouth again, but Ty Lee took her head between her hands and held her still, gazing into her eyes. "It's okay," she said, her voice soothing. "Just relax, 'Zula. I won't let anyone hurt you, remember?" Azula's face twisted. "It's okay." And Ty Lee smiled as she smoothed the other girl's black hair.

The former princess bit her lip. Slowly, she let her head fall forward, until it rested against Ty Lee's shoulder. "You can't see them," she whispered. "You can't see them, can you?"

A deep sigh expanded Ty Lee's ribs. She placed a soft kiss on her lover's forehead. "No," she said. "I don't see them. Just Aang."

Azula didn't say anything for a long time. She lay so still, in fact, that Ty Lee thought she had gone back to sleep. Her own eyes were just beginning to close when Azula's voice reached her ears again. "I guess I'm really crazy, aren't I, Ty Lee?"

The question was soft and mournful. The acrobat felt a lump rising in her throat. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. "Kind of, sometimes," she admitted, stroking Azula's hair and kissing her brow again. "But it isn't your fault. And I love you anyway."

"I should be locked up somewhere." The young woman's voice was muffled against Ty Lee's shoulder. "I can't even tell what's real anymore. You...you might not even be. For all I know, I might be hugging a rock or something."

"I'm real," Ty Lee said firmly. "I'm real, 'Zula. And I'm not going anywhere." Azula shivered and buried her face deeper into the acrobat's shirt. "It's all right." Ty Lee hugged her tenderly. "You can go back to sleep. I'll still be here." The former princess shivered again, but didn't say anything. She lay very still. After a while, Ty Lee felt the thin body relax, and the rise and fall of Azula's chest grew slower. Ty Lee placed one more soft kiss on the top of the black head. Then she closed her own eyes once more, and was soon asleep again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A pair of piercing amber eyes were gazing directly into Ty Lee's when the little acrobat woke up the next morning. She blinked, a little disconcerted, and then managed a sleepy smile. "G'morning, 'Zula," she murmured, with a yawn.

The former princess didn't answer right away. Ty Lee felt the white fingers trace delicately over her cheeks. "How did you find me?" Her black brows lowered a bit as she spoke, and her tone was just a little sharp. "I remember a few things...I left you, didn't I? You were wounded." She glanced out at the cavern entrance. "Did you bring them here?"

"No." As sleepy as she was, Ty Lee managed to process the questions – and the suspicious tone that they were delivered in. "No! Of course not, 'Zula. Don't be silly. I'd never do that. I looked for you as soon as I was strong enough, and I found you by myself. I've been taking care of you for weeks." She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Could you let me wake up a bit before starting the interrogation, maybe?"

The golden eyes didn't soften. "Then why are they here?" Azula demanded. "That...that _Avatar, _and my uncle, and those...others. Who brought them?"

Now Ty Lee was hurt – and annoyed. "No one brought anyone," she said. "Toph found us about a week ago, probably with her earthbending. She wants to help us. Aang and Katara healed you a bit last night, and...well, I don't know what your uncle's doing yet. He hasn't told me." Azula frowned, her look still hard and suspicious. "Look, I'm on your side," Ty Lee said angrily. "You should know that by now! I've given everything for you. Zuko took my title, and he threw me in prison, and I still wouldn't tell him anything, even after he had me tortured. I could have –"

Ty Lee stopped talking abruptly at the change of expression on Azula's face. The former princess sat back on her heels and stared at her for a moment. Then, abruptly, she leaned forward and tugged at the neck of Ty Lee's shirt. The laces came loose. Eyes narrowed, Azula pulled Ty Lee's collar open to expose the gymnast's left shoulder. Even in the soft morning light, the scars of her recent torment were clearly visible. The little acrobat raised her chin defiantly as Azula slowly ran her fingers over the ragged marks.

"I'll kill him," Azula whispered finally. Her eyes burned with murderous outrage as she raised them to meet Ty Lee's. "I'll...I'll kill him myself!"

Now that the girl's unfounded suspicions seemed to have been deflected, Ty Lee could feel her own anger cooling. She reached up and pushed Azula's hand away, covering the scars again. "No one needs to kill anyone," she said quietly. "Now that Aang and Toph are helping us, we might be able to escape the gallows. Maybe we can all work something out." Azula's scowl didn't soften. Ty Lee took the girl's flushed face between her hands and smiled, meeting her eyes. "Trust me, 'Zula. Okay? Just calm down, and trust me."

For several moments their gazes locked, wrestling for dominance. Finally Azula lowered her head; her face was working. "Okay," she muttered. "I guess I'm not in any shape to do anything, anyway. Since I can't even think properly anymore..."

"That'll change." Ty Lee raised Azula's head again. Leaning forward, she captured the girl's pale lips with her own.

The kiss was accepted. When it broke, the former princess turned away from her, hugging her knees to her chest. "They're awake," she muttered, waving one arm in the general direction of the cave entrance. "They've been talking out there for over an hour already. You had better go and see what they're doing." Ty Lee hesitated. Azula didn't look at her. With a sigh and a shrug, the little acrobat rose and headed out of their cozy cavern.

Toph and Iroh were sitting together against the white furry mound that was Appa. Aang was sitting about a hundred yards away, deep in conversation with Katara. Nervously, Ty Lee glanced over at the earthbender. "Good morning, Toph...General Iroh. Did you sleep well?"

"Slept just fine, Bouncy Butt," the blind girl said cheerfully. "Lots of earth out here – that's all I need to keep happy." She cocked her head. "How's the nut case this morning?"

Ty Lee could never tell quite how to take Toph. She frowned a little, but decided that taking offense would be pointless. "Azula had a rough night," she said quietly. "Not as rough as some, though. I think she's kind of scared this morning. She doesn't remember clearly, you know, and she's seeing a lot of things that aren't there. But at least she's talking again. And she knows who I am now."

"Yeah?" Toph glanced at the cave from which the acrobat had just emerged. Then, with a half-shrug, she pointed toward the ashes of the fire. "We already ate, but we saved you two some breakfast. Help yourself. And bring out your princess too, if she'll come. There's enough there for both of you."

There were sticky rice cakes there, bound up in grape leaves. Ty Lee considered for a moment. _Well, I guess I could take her breakfast in to her...but she's going to have to come out eventually. _She went in to fetch Azula. The former firebender was reluctant, and growled a good deal, but finally let herself be drawn outside. Without a word to anyone, she plopped herself down by the unlit fire and grabbed one of the cakes. Ty Lee followed. She knelt down beside Azula and took the remaining food. No one spoke while the two girls ate.

As Ty Lee was finishing her cake, Katara and Aang rejoined the rest of them. The waterbender sat down in silence, casting a dark look in Azula's direction. Although she didn't seem quite as hostile as she had the night before, but it was plain that she was still very suspicious. Aang moved to sit fairly close to Azula. Then he made the mistake of smiling at her. The former firebender glared at him. "You can stare at me," she snarled. "You can pretend you're not like me, but _I _know. You were talking to them, too. I saw you. You can see them, too!"

Toph shifted her weight subtly, and Katara uncorked her waterskin, but Aang simply gazed at Azula. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean," he said politely. "Who can I talk to and see?"

"I saw you," Azula muttered again, curling her body up into a ball. "Last night. You were talking to them – the ones who torture me. The dragon-man, and the man with the wolf skin. You..." She rubbed her face with both hands, growling in frustration. "You're with them – you, and that woman with the fans. You used to be...I saw. All in a line. One behind the other behind the other, and the glowing eyes, way over the horizon in the mist..." Ty Lee saw Iroh frown suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him. She looked at Azula again, taking in the barely-contained fear and anger in the lines of her pale face. _She's losing it again, _she thought worriedly.

Aang, however, nodded. "Yes," he said, his tone very matter-of-fact. "You're right, Azula. The woman with the fans is Avatar Kyoshi. The man wearing the wolf-helm is Avatar Kuruk. And the man with the dragon is Avatar Roku, your great-grandfather." He smiled. "I was asking Roku and Kuruk about you last night. Kuruk was the last Water Tribe Avatar, you know – and I thought, since he was such a master waterbender, that he might know something about how you can be healed."

Ty Lee gaped at him. Had everyone in the world suddenly gone crazy?

Azula, too, stared at the Avatar for a moment or two. "You lie," she choked. "My...my great-grandfather was Fire Lord Sozin..."

"Yes – on your father's side," Aang agreed. "Your mother's grandfather, though, was Avatar Roku. Zuko knows. And so does General Iroh here, I bet." Iroh, who was still looking at his niece strangely, gave a thoughtful nod. "Roku thought that some of what you were seeing was real," the Avatar went on. "You have Avatar blood, after all. So some of what you've been going through is that you can see into the Spirit World, but that you can't control it at all because of your sickness." Aang smiled again, his eyes mild and sincere. "I can help you with that part of it, anyway. It's not hard to control, once you know how to do it."

"I'm...I'm seeing..." Hope and distrust battled in Azula's face. She opened and closed her mouth several times. "Then...when I see my...my mother...she's really..?"

Ty Lee's heart broke. Tears welled up in her gray eyes – she knew what the princess was thinking. She reached out and grasped one of Azula's hands. The white fingers twitched a little in hers, but they didn't pull away. Aang shook his head. "That I can't tell you, I'm afraid," he said quietly. "Not everything you see is real, because your mind isn't healthy right now, Azula. So I don't know if you're actually seeing your mother's spirit, or if it's just a hallucination." He paused. "Would you like me to help you? Then maybe you'll be able to tell next time."

The former princess turned her face away abruptly. Her hand clenched briefly around Ty Lee's – the little acrobat could feel it trembling. Then it slowly released. Azula raised her burning eyes to the Avatar's. "Yes," she said curtly, jerking her head.

"All right." Aang's smile was warm. He rose to his feet and gestured. "Come with me, then. We'll need to be alone for this," he added apologetically, glancing at Ty Lee. "We have to meditate and things..." The little acrobat nodded reluctantly. Without looking back, Aang walked down the slope toward the place where he and Katara had been talking before. Azula got up and followed him, her face set grimly.

Ty Lee was nervous. It occurred to her that Azula might just be acting – that she might try to attack Aang once they were far enough away. She watched as the boy sat down and gestured to the former firebender. Azula slowly followed suit. Then they were just talking, and sitting. Nothing seemed to be happening; Ty Lee shifted impatiently.

"Hey." The voice broke in on the little acrobat's thoughts. Turning, she saw the milky eyes of Toph fixed on her. The blind earthbender grinned at her. "Those two are gonna be a while, if I know Aang. You want to play Pai Sho with Iroh and me?" The board was already laid out between them. The acrobat hesitated, glancing back at the distant Azula. Then she looked at Katara; the waterbender met her eyes coolly before looking away. With a sigh, Ty Lee nodded. "All right. Come on, then," Toph said, beckoning. Ty Lee moved over and knelt down, bending over the Pai Sho board.

And in the distance, Azula and Aang talked on.


	50. Chapter 50

It was well past noon when Aang and Azula finally returned to the rest of the group. Both of them immediately went to the fire Iroh had built earlier and huddled over it, extending their hands to the blaze. Ty Lee quickly took off her own cloak and draped it over Azula's shoulders. The former princess glanced at her, smiled slightly, and continued to toast her fingers. Even that brief look was enough to give Ty Lee pause; Azula's golden eyes were clearer than they had been in a long time.

After a while, Aang and the others moved away from the fire to hold a whispered conference, leaving Azula and Ty Lee alone by the fire. The little acrobat timidly touched the other girl's arm. "Are...are you all right, 'Zula?" she asked.

The amber eyes turned to her again. "I'm fine," Azula said quietly. "- For now, at least."

"What did he say to you?" Ty Lee wanted to know.

"A lot of things." The former firebender shrugged and hugged her knees to her chest. "He wants to take me into the Spirit World tonight. He says I should talk to Avatar Roku." She paused. "You know they're taking us to Gaoling."

Ty Lee sighed and nodded. "I thought they would." She glanced back at their cave. "Well, maybe it'll be warmer there, at least."

"Do you want to try to resist them?" Azula's face was smooth, and her words deliberate. "I doubt the two of us can really take them on, but then at least we wouldn't have gone down without a fight. And I don't like the thought of willingly putting my head in the noose."

The little acrobat bit hard at the inside of her lip. The salty taste of blood filled her mouth. "I...don't think we should," she said hesitantly. "I mean, I know you were a fighter, 'Zula, and it can't be very fun to just go quietly. I'm sure I can't really understand how hard it is for you. But...well, this is really our only chance not to get executed. Aang and Toph want to help us. I think we should go with them."

Azula gazed at her in cold silence for what felt like a long time. At last, with a sigh, she turned her hawk eyes away. "I'll defer to you," she said. "Only common sense, I suppose. If I'm insane, my judgment can't be very good, can it?" She waved a white hand. "You do the talking when they come back. Whatever you decide, I'll go along with it."

Astonished, Ty Lee stared at her. "You...you're still the princess," she said slowly.

"No." Azula's voice was low. She stared down into the crackling flames. "I'm not. I haven't been for over a year, now." There was silence again. "I meant it, Ty. You do the talking. You figure things out. It doesn't really matter, anyway. You couldn't possibly mess things up any worse than I already have." The former princess sighed and rubbed her forehead. Then, shrugging out of Ty Lee's cloak, she held it up. "Here. I'm warm enough now. You had better put this back on."

"O-okay, 'Zula. If you're sure." The gymnast obediently took it. There was a lump in her throat as she fastened the garment's clasps. Impulsively, she leaned over and flung her arms around Azula, burrowing her brown head into the crook of the girl's shoulder. Her lips brushed against the soft skin of Azula's neck. "You're still _my_ princess," she whispered. "You always will be." The former firebender didn't speak, but Ty Lee heard her take a shuddering breath. A moment later, she felt Azula's head rest lightly against hers.

It was a few minutes before the huddle broke, and their four visitors returned to the fire. Iroh cleared his throat and looked at his niece. "I'm sure you both know that you can't stay here," he said. "It would only be a matter of time before my nephew's men found you. And besides, you can't be very comfortable here." Azula darted a glare at him, then lowered her head stonily to gaze down at the ground. "We'd like you to accompany us back to Gaoling. I have friends you can stay with who will keep watch over you until we can decide what we're going to do."

"Guard us, more likely," Azula muttered, without looking up. Then she darted a sidelong glance at Ty Lee, shrugged one shoulder, and looked away.

Nervously, Ty Lee met Iroh's dark eyes. When Azula had been so sick, the acrobat hadn't minded doing the talking, since Azula couldn't. This was different. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, as if she were usurping something – whether the former princess had given her permission or not. "We'll come," she said softly. "But...I wonder if I could ask you something first, General Iroh."

"You can ask." The man nodded solemnly, stroking his gray beard with one hand.

"If we're going to prison," Ty Lee whispered, "could we at least be locked up together?"

"You're not going to prison." That was Aang. He smiled as Ty Lee looked at him. "We're just taking you someplace safer. We couldn't let you get caught while we're still figuring out how to help, right?" She managed a half-hearted smile in return. "Why don't you girls help Azula and Ty Lee get their things together? I'll go and get Appa ready." And the young monk turned away.

Katara rose to her feet and met Ty Lee's eyes coolly. "I don't imagine you have a lot to pack up."

This was the first time the waterbender had actually spoken to either Azula or Ty Lee. The little acrobat fidgeted. "No. Nothing but what we're already wearing, and our blankets, I guess. Unless we want to bring the food, too."

Without another word, Katara swept past the two of them into the cave. Ty Lee looked after her, then back to where Toph stood. The blind earthbender shot the Fire Nation girls a quiet smile. "Don't worry too much about Sugar Queen, there," she said. "She went through a lot during the War, and she still doesn't like Fire Nation people too much. And she doesn't trust you much, Fiery Britches – even if she did see you lose it after that Agni Kai." Azula's teeth ground together audibly, and the glare she shot in Toph's direction burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. The earthbender just chuckled a bit. "She'll follow Aang in this," she said. "And she probably won't bend either of you, unless you do something stupid like pick a fight."

"We won't," Ty Lee said quietly. She looked back at the cave; Katara emerged a few moments later, carrying their folded blankets in her arms. The waterbender headed for the flying bison without speaking. With a shrug, Ty Lee reached down to take Azula's arm. The former princess rose and walked with her in silence, although her brows were still lowered, and her eyes still smoldered with resentment. Ty Lee rather wished that Toph hadn't brought up the Agni Kai. She squeezed Azula's arm gently and hoped that the girl would be able to keep her volatile temper in check.

Ty Lee had ridden on Appa a couple of times before. The airbender had, in fact, taken her up for a joyride once, because she had asked him to. She wasn't at all nervous about climbing into the large, wooden saddle of the beast. Azula, though, seemed a bit uncertain. She quickly bundled herself into a corner of the structure; Ty Lee slipped over beside her. The other four arrayed themselves more or less across the opposite end of the saddle.

When Aang flicked the reins, Ty Lee slipped her arm around Azula's shoulders. She suspected the takeoff would be a bit difficult for the former firebender to take, given that the only flying she'd ever done had been in large, ponderous war balloons. "Yip, yip!" Aang called out cheerfully. Appa leaped up into the air; the bottom dropped out of Ty Lee's stomach, and she grinned excitedly at the sensation. She felt Azula tense up beside her. Ty Lee put a reassuring arm around her friend.

After the first few exciting minutes, the flight leveled out, and Aang turned Appa toward the distant city of Gaoling. No one spoke. Ty Lee glanced hopefully at Azula, but the girl was glowering down at her own feet, her arms folded protectively across her breast. With a sigh, Ty Lee silently looked over her other companions. Iroh sat as placidly as ever, leaning back against the sturdy wall of Appa's saddle and gazing up into the cloudy sky. Katara was perched in the corner nearest to Aang; her gaze alternated between the young Avatar and the sullen Azula. Toph was draped over the side of the saddle as if she were looking out – although, with her blind eyes, she couldn't have been.

The little acrobat looked down. Her fingers twisted together idly, but she didn't see them. She was thinking. Ty Lee wasn't very perceptive, but she knew more or less what was going on. Toph and Aang were willing to help them. Katara would do it if Aang insisted, but wasn't especially enthused. And Iroh might help them – a little. But even if all four of these people decided to really take Azula's side in this (and Ty Lee doubted that they would), they'd probably fold if Zuko insisted on having his sister hanged. And he seemed awfully set on that.

Ty Lee shivered, her fingers drifting absently to finger the whip-scars that marked her sides. Memories flashed before her mind's eye. _Angry eyes and snarling mouths. Her own blood spattered and smeared across the bare arms of her tormentors. The crack of the whip, each time coming to her ears a split second before the pain made her body jerk and spasm. The shouted question, always drowning out her own agonized screams – "Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?"_ Shuddering, Ty Lee snuggled closer to the scowling Azula and rested her head against her. _I don't want to go back. I'm scared. _Azula's golden gaze met hers for a brief moment. Then Ty Lee quickly shut her eyes, afraid that Azula would somehow be able to see some of what she was thinking about. "Are you all right, Ty?" the former princess whispered, her frown softening a bit. Ty Lee nodded, but didn't open her eyes again. A thin arm slipped around her waist. It was only a light touch, but it was more than enough. The little acrobat was comforted.


	51. Chapter 51

Their arrival in Gaoling was very low-key. It was early evening when Appa first swooped low over the city walls. Ty Lee and Azula huddled down and pulled the hoods of their cloaks up over their faces as the flying bison touched down. The moment it was safe to do so, they were both hustled from the beast's back and onto the ground. Ty Lee caught enough glimpses of their surroundings to tell that they had landed on a rooftop somewhere in the outskirts of the city – then she was indoors. Toph's hand, which until then had been wrapped just a little too firmly around her upper arm, released. She rubbed her bicep before pulling down her hood and looking around.

She and Azula were being ushered down a wide hall. The place wasn't exactly a palace, but it was fairly elegant; Ty Lee noted a few wall hangings that were definitely of Fire Nation origin. She frowned. _Where are we? This can't be General Iroh's place, he lives in Ba Sing Se..._ Then a man appeared at the end of the hall. His hair was white, and he was dressed in Fire Nation robes. Striding forward, he extended his hands to Iroh, his grim face softening into a smile. There was a military air to the way he moved. "Welcome, brother," he said gravely. "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know its secrets."

The general smiled peacefully and bowed, taking the man's hands. "Thank you, brother. Our thanks for your hospitality." He extended his arm to his companions. "May I present Avatar Aang, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and Lady Toph Bei Fong? Everyone, this is Jeong Jeong, an old friend of mine." Jeong Jeong bowed courteously, and the three returned it – with varying degrees of skill. Iroh turned and indicated Azula, who was standing with her arms folded across her belly, the hood of her cloak still pulled up over her head. "And this is my niece, Azula," he said.

Warily, the former princess lifted her hawk eyes to look at the stranger. Her lips were tight. "You're the Deserter," was all she said. Ty Lee winced as she saw Jeong Jeong's bushy brows lower. She knew that Azula was quite capable of being charming when she wanted to be, and she was really starting to wish that the girl would want to be more often. _As much as I love you, Azula…_

The old man bowed. "The same," he said, his voice calm despite his faint frown. "And you are the youngest child of Fire Lord Ozai and Lady Ursa, sister to Fire Lord Zuko." Ty Lee saw Azula frown slightly at this. The mention of her brother's name seemed to remind her of the wisdom in at least being polite. She unfolded her arms long enough to touch her palms together and bow slightly from the waist.

"And this," Iroh said, indicating the silent acrobat, "is Ty Lee, fifth daughter of Lord Zakuro and Lady Mae Li." Ty Lee bowed humbly as Jeong Jeong's keen eyes rested on her. He inclined his grizzled head in greeting. "I believe that you and I have much to discuss."

"I believe we do," Jeong Jeong said, looking back at the old general. Then he glanced at Aang. "My people will see you and your friends to your rooms, Avatar," he said politely. Servants appeared and ushered Aang, Katara and Toph away. Ty Lee shifted nervously, moving a bit closer to Azula. "And there are also rooms for you and your friend, daughter of Ozai." Jeong Jeong's amber eyes rested on the former princess for a moment. "I would ask you both not to leave your quarters for any reason until you are sent for. It would be dangerous for either of you to be seen, you understand."

As he spoke, four silent men appeared from behind him, and stood as if waiting for orders. They wore only simple Fire Nation clothing, but each had an odd symbol embroidered in gold on his left shoulder. Ty Lee suspected that they were members of some kind of elite guard. From Azula's dour expression, she knew the former firebender was thinking the same thing. A small smile twitched Jeong Jeong's lips. "You are not exactly prisoners here," he said, "but you are not exactly guests, either. I advise you to keep that in mind."

"Of course," Azula said. Her voice was both sweet and icy cold. The four men stepped forward, flanking the two girls and escorting them down a side hall.

Ty Lee was worried. She trusted Aang, and she trusted Toph, but she wasn't quite as sure of Iroh, and she didn't know who this Jeong Jeong was at all. Her fingers trailed over the burn scars under the sleeve of her shirt. She'd never been untrusting, but her latest stay in prison had dealt her innocence a severe blow. The men didn't seem overtly hostile – they guided the two girls down another flight of stairs, seldom even touching them. Ty Lee still wasn't entirely comfortable until they reached a short hallway and stopped at a door.

"These will be your quarters, Miss Azula," one of them said politely, opening the door for her. "The windows have been boarded up for your own protection." The former firebender shot him a cool glare, but said nothing. She stepped into the room.

On impulse, Ty Lee slipped her foot into the door as he started to close it. She sensed a sudden rise in their tension – she smiled innocently at the man still holding the doorknob. "I serve the Princess Azula," she said softly. "I'd really rather wait on her in her rooms than have my own, if that's all right." He hesitated, and she dropped her lashes, peering up at him through them in a way that she knew was appealing. "Please? I'm sure it would save everybody trouble."

He hesitated a bit longer, then gave a slow, reluctant nod. "You can stay here for now," he said. "We'll have to ask the master of the house about it, though."

"Of course." The little acrobat laid a coquettish finger against his lips, giggling just once. "Thank you," she cooed softly, and slipped through over the threshold after Azula. The door closed behind her.

The former princess had already seated herself in a padded armchair. She raised a brow at Ty Lee as the retreating footsteps of the men echoed in the hallway. "So you'd rather serve me in my own rooms than have your own, would you?" she said drily.

"You know I would." Ty Lee padded across the carpet to where she sat, kneeling down at her feet. She laid her hands on Azula's knees and smiled up at her. "You're not sorry about that, are you?"

"No." Azula looked around the room. Her fingers flicked distractedly over Ty Lee's. "This is...a real room," she said slowly. "This is only the second real place I've been in since my brother threw me in prison." She looked down at the arm of her chair, drawing her palm over the plush fabric. Ty Lee was silent. She watched until the amber eyes moved back to her. "You never told me how you found me." Azula's face was unreadable. "I remember a little. I left you with Mai. Then I walked for a long time, until I couldn't anymore, and then I hid. It all gets vague after that. Tell me how you found me again. And how did you get away from Mai?"

"I didn't get away from her," Ty Lee said. "She let me go." Azula raised a brow. "Mai carried me all the way to Gaoling. She was going to take me to the Fire Nation embassy there, except Toph found us before we got there, and took us to her house instead. But then your brother had me brought to the embassy and locked up there. And then..." She paused, unsure of how to go on. She'd already told Azula that she had been tortured, but she didn't really want to go into detail – the occasional flashbacks were hard enough to bear.

Azula leaned forward a bit. Her eyes were grim. "Let me see your back." The acrobat hesitated. "Let me see," Azula insisted. The words were a bit sharper this time, more like her old, imperial voice. Ty Lee had never outright disobeyed that tone yet. Bowing her head, she obediently undid the ties of her shirt and let it fall, baring her torso. Azula's expression didn't change. Her bony hand moved toward Ty Lee's right shoulder. The little acrobat felt her fingers touch the tip of one of the pinkish scars and trace its path over the side of her neck and down her back, to where it disappeared beneath her breast bindings. Then the former princess pulled back. "Turn around." Ty Lee silently turned and settled down again on her knees. She felt Azula's hand brush across her back, just above the cloth, sliding over the furrows and puckers of the skin. Then the touch left her. She heard Azula sigh. "Put your shirt back on."

There was silence for a while as Ty Lee tied up the laces of her collar. She looked up timidly at Azula, wondering if the girl would be angry again, but there was no fury in the golden eyes. Azula simply looked tired and sad. "I think you took worse than I did," the former firebender said quietly. Ty Lee bit her lip and lowered her gaze to the floor. There was a pause – then Azula sighed again. "Well, go on. Tell me what happened."

"Well..." Ty Lee hesitated. "Zuko thought I knew where you were. That's why he had me...questioned. Mai came to see me afterwards. She was trying to get Zuko not to execute me, and things. I guess she figured she didn't have enough time anymore once she saw what they'd done to me. So she had me smuggled out of the prison and sent me to some old friends of hers." The little acrobat couldn't help but smile a bit as she thought of Liu and Shan. They had been kind to her. She hoped that she could see them again someday. "Once I was strong enough, I went back to the last place you and I camped together, and I started looking for you." Ty Lee laid her hands on Azula's knees again. "I knew you couldn't go backward, and I figured you wouldn't head for Gaoling, so I followed the north branch of the canyon. I followed the river and looked for your tracks. But then I saw the steam from the hot spring, so I thought I'd look at it." She paused and shrugged. "And there you were."

Azula's face was clouded. "I remember a bit," she muttered. "It was cold. It was so cold, and I couldn't make a fire. I found the spring, and it was warm...then the cave. Then I started seeing things. It wouldn't stop..." She shuddered deeply and closed her eyes.

"It's okay now, 'Zula," Ty Lee said softly, resting her chin on her hands and smiling up at her. "Aang and Katara will help you, and I'm here. We'll make you better."

"Not everything can be fixed," Azula muttered. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Besides, even if they could make me sane again, there's still my dear brother. I'm still going to end up dangling at the end of a rope."

"No, you're not!" The little acrobat's eyes flashed as she sat back up, her hands clenching into fists on Azula's lap. "I keep telling you I won't let anybody hurt you. I mean it, 'Zula!" The former firebender looked at her for a moment – her lips curved a bit. Ty Lee saw it and thrust out her lower lip. "I mean it," she said again, stubbornly.

"I know you do." Azula was still smiling faintly. She reached out and lightly brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over Ty Lee's eyes. "And they call me the crazy one," she murmured. The acrobat's brow wrinkled, and Azula chuckled darkly. "Never mind." She sat back in the chair, resting her black head against it. Her amber eyes never left Ty Lee's face. "Sometimes I just don't understand you," she said. "You must know that the entire weight of the Fire Nation is stacked against me – and pretty much everything else on the planet."

The little acrobat grinned. "Bring 'em on." Then she leaned forward and laid her head on Azula's lap, closing her eyes. For a while, the former princess didn't respond. Then Ty Lee felt slender fingers threading through her hair, and shivered with happiness.

The two girls spent the next hour together, quietly talking. Ty Lee felt a rush of resentment when someone knocked at the door. Azula, who had been draped lazily over the armchair as she listened to her companion's cheerful patter, sat up abruptly. "Come." The door opened, and Aang entered. He bowed, smiling broadly in Ty Lee's direction. The little acrobat returned the smile as most of her annoyance receded; she liked Aang. Azula rose to her feet and returned the bow. "Avatar."

"Please – just Aang's fine." The young monk laughed a bit. "I'm not much for formalities."

"As you wish." Azula resumed her seat, crossing her legs regally at the knees. Her eyes were dark. "I suppose you want to drag me off to talk to my great-grandfather now?" She smirked.

"No. I don't want to drag you anywhere, Azula." Aang looked at her gravely. "Have you changed your mind about coming with me?"

"No." Her smirk disappeared. She glanced down at Ty Lee, then back up at him. "So what do we do, then? Just join hands in a corner and call on the spirits to carry us away?"

Aang shook his head. "Well, not exactly. There's an empty room upstairs I was thinking we could use. We'll need to meditate to enter the Spirit World. And...well, I'll explain it all to you up there, I think, Azula." He looked down at the little acrobat, who was beginning to look worried, and gave an apologetic smile. "I'd let you come along, Ty Lee, but there really won't be anything for you to do. It'll just look like us sitting with our eyes closed, you know."

"C-can I come, anyway?" Ty Lee pleaded. She didn't want to stay in this room by herself while Azula was trying something that sounded so dangerous. "Please! I promise I'll be quiet, and I won't interrupt anything. You won't even know that I'm there."

He hesitated. Then, with a sigh and a smile, he nodded. "Okay. If you really want to. But it'll be pretty boring for you, you know, and I don't know how long it'll take."

"That's okay." The little acrobat beamed. "Thank you, Aang. I'll be good, I promise."

"Fine, fine. Can we go now?" Azula growled, rising again. "Let's get this thing over with." Aang nodded and turned away. The two girls followed as the young monk led the way through the empty halls.


	52. Chapter 52

Something was different. In the time that she had been asleep, _something_ had changed – but Mai's sleep-fogged mind couldn't quite figure out what.

She propped herself up on her elbow, rubbing her eyes, and looked around. She was still in the same cell, and she was at least sure of that. There was nothing new in the room. The guard just outside the bars was the same, too, as far as she could see. Impatient, Mai sat up completely, trying to shake the cobwebs from her mind. And then she saw it – there was sunlight coming in through the tiny window of her cell.

Sunlight. That meant it was daytime. And that meant that she had to have been asleep for more than eleven hours, given that she had first closed her eyes at about four o'clock in the evening the day before. And _that_ would mean -

…Well, to be honest, Mai had no idea what that would mean.

With a little groan of frustration, she shook her head. "Come on, Mai," she muttered. "Think, already!" If they had let her sleep, then they must be abandoning their strategy to crack her by sleep deprivation. So they must have decided to change tactics. Might they be thinking of more serious tortures? But then, why would they have let her sleep? Unless…unless they had no more need of her information. Unless they had caught Ty Lee already…

It was no use thinking like this, she decided suddenly. She wasn't going to be able to figure out what was going on. She simply didn't have enough information. She wouldn't have enough information, in fact, until the soldiers – or Zuko – decided to tell her. _And in the meantime, I'm tired. So since they're letting me, I'm going to go back to sleep. _Mai lay down again, pillowing her head on her arm, and closed her eyes.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_Azula had been only five years old when her father had taught her about the scorpion-rat._

_Even as a toddler, she had been calculating in her small way, and very self-assured – traits that Ozai took care to reinforce in his favored child. But she'd had a flaw, too. Azula had not been fearless. She wasn't ever a coward, of course, but she did have her little fears. One of the things she had been afraid of was scorpion-rats. She had been stung by one once when she was three years old. It had been hiding in the grass where she had been playing with her brother, and she had stepped on it. Fortunately it had only been a young and less deadly creature, and a healer had managed to draw the poison from the throbbing leg of the sobbing little girl. After that, the mere sight of a scorpion-rat had been enough to reduce little Azula to tears and terror._

_Her father had summoned her to his study on the day in question. Even before he had been made Fire Lord, this had been an uncommon occurrence. Ozai's private quarters were inviolable – even his wife was only welcome there if sent for. Azula had been cleaned up and dressed in her best robes by her nurse, and then led by the hand to the door of the study by her mother. Ursa had hunkered down to her level there. Azula remembered the woman's firm hands straightening her collar and smoothing an unruly lock of black hair. "Be a good girl, Azu, and listen to your father," she'd said quietly. "And don't forget to bow." Then the menacing door had opened. Awed, little Azula had slowly entered the room._

_In retrospect, the place probably hadn't been as huge and daunting as she remembered it – the room had just been an office, after all. But to the five-year-old Azula, the bookshelves had loomed over her like malevolent trees, and the desk her father was sitting at had seemed like a huge and threatening monster. She bowed from the waist as she had been taught, counting the seconds in her head. One…two…three…four…five…_

"_Come here, Azula." Ozai's voice was smooth, as it nearly always was. The child padded across the carpet to where he was sitting, halting a few feet from him and waiting nervously. "Have your firebending lessons been going well?"_

"_Yes, Father." Azula remembered how cool his face had been as he looked down on her. "I know the first three forms now."_

_His dark brows had lowered just a bit. He uttered a word that she already knew by heart. "Perfectly?"_

"_Perfectly, Father." Azula didn't have to think about her answer. She'd spent hours every day going through the forms under the instruction of her teacher – over and over and over again, until her small legs ached. She'd learned, too, not to let a word of complaint pass her lips. Her father always heard about them later, and his punishments were swift and terrifying. She shifted uncomfortably as she thought about it._

"_Good." Ozai extended one white hand to her. The child moved forward and let him lift her up onto his lap. She leaned against him a little bit, and he allowed it, to her delight. For a few delicious moments, Azula simply sat in her father's arms. Then he sat up straight. His hands pushed her firmly so that she had to do the same. "I have something to show you, Azula." This piqued her interest. Curiously, she watched as he touched a hitherto-unnoticed box that sat on his desk. He lifted off the lid to reveal – a scorpion-rat._

_Little Azula uttered a gasp of fright, shrinking back. "Sit up straight," her father said sharply. Whimpering, the child obeyed. "Stop that blubbering." The cold voice froze the sobs in the little girl's throat. She gulped and stayed where she was, trembling, her wide golden eyes fixed on the small creature in the box. It was scrabbling frantically in its prison, its tiny paws clawing at the smooth walls. She could see its black eyes and brown fur, and the smooth curve of its tail, tipped with a shiny black stinger. After a moment or two, Azula's initial terror began to subside, and she grew curious again. She'd never really seen a scorpion-rat up close. She peered at its legs, watching them as they scuttled back and forth on the floor of the box. It dawned on her suddenly that the creature was afraid, too._

_It was perhaps three minutes before Ozai spoke again. "Do you know what this is, Azula?"_

_The child nodded. "Yes, Father. It's a scorpion-rat."_

"_That's right." Ozai pulled the box a bit closer. Azula flinched a little bit, but she didn't move away. "You don't like scorpion-rats, and this one is trapped and helpless. Do you see that, Azula?" The little girl nodded. "Are you afraid of it?"_

_She considered. The truth probably wasn't something that would please Ozai, but she didn't dare to lie to him. "Yes, Father."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because…" Azula wrinkled her five-year-old nose in thought. "Because it might sting me if it got out of the box."_

"_You're afraid because it might hurt you." The man moved the box closer again. Its wooden side was almost close enough to brush Azula's arm. "Do you know what fear is, Azula?"_

_The little girl was almost in tears again. "N-no, Father," she faltered, choking back her whimpers with a titanic effort._

"_Fear is a thing that tells you when you're in danger. Fear makes you want to fight or run away from the thing that you're afraid of." Ozai's hand rested heavily on Azula's shoulder. "But there are other things you can do. Fighting and running away might not be the only options. They might even be bad options." He tilted the box slightly toward his daughter. The scorpion-rat scrabbled frantically for freedom, and she flinched again, biting back a little scream of terror. "What else could you do with this thing, other than kill it or run away from it?"_

_A tear escaped, trickling down Azula's cheek. She hastily wiped away what she already considered to be a sign of weakness. "I…could watch it," she quavered. "I could f-feed it something. Or," brightening suddenly, "I could show it to Zuzu and scare him with it."_

"_You could." A slight smile – very slight – twitched Ozai's lips. The child felt a warm glow at having pleased him. "You see, Azula – fear can make people do foolish things. You have to be the master of fear, and not let fear be your master. The next time you're afraid, I want you to stop and think, instead of crying or running away. Understand?"_

_The child nodded. "Yes, Father."_

"_Good." He set the box firmly on her lap. Shivering, Azula slowly put her hands out to steady it there, feeling the vibrations of the scorpion-rat's struggles through the smooth wood. "I want you to keep this in your room, Azula. You're going to feed it and keep it alive until you've decided what you're going to do with it. Then, after you've used it, you're going to tell me your reasons for doing what you did." The little girl nodded wordlessly. "And from now on, you're not to cry when you're afraid – you're to think, and then act. Understand?" And Azula had nodded again. Her father's word was law._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was strange how vivid those memories were becoming. Azula kept her amber eyes focused grimly on the back of Aang's head as she followed him. She could hear Ty Lee's soft footsteps behind her. Although she hadn't said anything, she'd been secretly relieved when the little acrobat had pleaded to come with them. The prospect of actually entering the Spirit World terrified her beyond all reason, and the fact that the Avatar intended to introduce her to the dragon-rider who had been tormenting her for so long didn't help. That this dragon-rider was purported to have been an Avatar and her own great-grandfather also didn't make her rest any easier. Family ties meant more danger, not less.

Her mental breakdown and humiliating defeat had introduced Azula to many things that she'd never had any personal experience with. Humiliation itself, for one thing; that had always been Zuko's department. Loss of coherent thought, for another – something Azula had never had to deal with, and had never even dreamed was possible. Loneliness, too, although she'd known something of that before. This last problem had introduced a peculiar difficulty into Azula's life, especially while she had rotted in prison. She had longed desperately for someone – anyone! – to show her kindness, and yet was far too proud to ask for it, or accept it when she got it. Fortunately Ty Lee had been there to give her what she had so badly needed, whether she had wanted it or not.

She was in a similar situation now. The relentless fear and persecution had broken Azula completely at least twice, now, but she was still trying to cling to whatever shreds of pride and self-respect that she had left. She refused to show anyone that she was afraid – that she didn't want to face her ancestors, or her brother, or even her own self. She wouldn't even tell Ty Lee how terrified she was. And yet, despite all this, the little acrobat was there, firmly and consistently giving her exactly what she needed. Azula's eyes softened a bit as she recalled those sweet little bits of memory (snatched from the very jaws of insanity) that she had of resting in Ty Lee's arms, listening to the girl's soft voice as she spoke or sang. She couldn't remember anything of what the little acrobat had said to her during those moments, but that didn't matter. The sound of her voice had been enough.

Her voice. The one voice that Azula now trusted.

But that fact, like the fact of her own fear, would never be put into words.

Azula was shaken from her thoughts as the young monk she was following opened a door and stepped aside to let her pass. The room inside was empty, except for a single candle in one corner. It cast a faint, warm glow over the stone walls and floor. About four feet above their heads, a solitary window opened up to the night sky. She turned to face Aang, folding her arms across her chest, and glared at him. She hoped he wouldn't see the way her chest was heaving, and that she was beginning to break out in a cold sweat. "Well?" she said curtly.

Calmly, Aang went to the corner to get the candle, and set it in the center of the room. "You'll probably find it easier to watch a flame while you meditate," he said. "You are Fire Nation, after all. That's how you'd have trained to do it in the first place."

"Yes." Azula bit down on her own tongue for a moment, then sat down cross-legged, facing the steadily-burning flame. She noted, out of the corner of her eye, that Ty Lee had knelt down silently in a dark corner. Her presence made Azula's growing fear easier to bear. Gritting her teeth, the former firebender looked at the young monk as he sat down across from her. "What now?"

Aang's eyes were mild as he met her defiant glare. "We're going to meditate," he said quietly. "You just do what you normally do – clear your mind, calm yourself, and center. I'll do the same. When we're both ready, I'm going to leave my body and take your hand. You should be able to feel it and see me after that. Then I'll take you to the Spirit World." He paused, his expression growing more serious. "Once we're there, Azula, you'll need to stay with me. The Spirit World is a dangerous place. Not all the spirits are friendly, and you won't know the way. Understand?" This did nothing to counter the quickening pace of Azula's heartbeat. She jerked her head in a nod. "As long as you do that, you'll be fine," Aang said, smiling now. "Let's meditate." And he closed his eyes; his body relaxed, falling easily into the lotus position.

The former princess sat up straight, inhaling deeply, and rested her hands on her knees. Her eyes moved to the gently-flickering flame. Her back was tense, her jaw tight. _Relax, _she told herself. _You can't back out now. Just breathe. _Azula inhaled again, from her diaphragm, slowly filling her lungs with air. Years of rigid discipline made her breathing fall naturally into rhythm. _In – hold – out. Relax. In – hold – out. Relax. _Her gaze locked on the very genesis of the flame, the tiny space of black around the tip of the candle wick.

It felt strange. This was the first time that Azula had meditated with fire since Aang had taken her firebending chi, and she could feel its loss painfully now. At this point, she would usually have felt her chi resonating to the candle's flame, and it would have begun rising and falling with her breaths. She felt nothing. The fire burned cheerfully, unaffected by anything she did. Her concentration wavered, and she felt her eyes stinging. Azula had to close them until she had mastered the unexpected wave of grief. Then, stubbornly, she focused on the flame again. Slowly, her thoughts melted away, and there was only the fire and the peace. Then even the flame was gone, and there was nothing but her own naked awareness, freed of breath and fire and memory.

Suddenly, there was light. Azula opened her eyes – or, at least, she thought she had. Aang was standing over her, smiling. He still looked like himself, but he also looked…different. More luminous, somehow, and less substantial. Reaching down, he took her left hand. "Get up, Azula," he said encouragingly. "Take a few steps."

Azula slowly rose to her feet. Then she looked around. They were still in the dimly-lit room. She looked down, and nearly jumped – she was standing beside her own body, which was still seated before the flame. She felt a moment of vertigo, and swayed; Aang's hand steadied her. "Easy, there," he said cheerfully. "Walk a little. That'll help you get your legs."

Tentatively, Azula took a step, and then another. It seemed to work. She stamped her feet experimentally, and her legs still obeyed her. Slowly, the dizziness passed. She looked at the corner where Ty Lee was kneeling. The little acrobat's eyes were still fixed on the two vacant bodies by the candle. "She can't see us, can she?"

"No." Aang shrugged and smiled again. "She can't hear us, either. Not very many people can." He paused. "Are you ready to go, Azula, or do you need a minute?"

The former firebender looked away from the body she had just left, shivering. It was unnerving. "I'm ready," she said. "Let's get this over with."

"Okay. Hang on tight." The boy grasped her other hand and closed his eyes. Light seemed to shoot out of him suddenly, blazing so brightly that Azula gasped and turned her face away. Everything that she could see wavered like a puff of smoke, then vanished – there was only the light, white and piercing and so powerful it almost seemed solid in and of itself. All that remained of her own sensation was the feeling of his hands, still warm in her own. Azula clutched at them like a drowning woman.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

Panting, Azula let her arms fall by her sides. They were together in a field, she saw, her mind reeling in confusion. There was grass beneath her feet, and wildflowers. The cloudless sky was an odd shade of blue – almost gray, but very vivid at the same time. There was a misty quality to the horizon, as though everything she saw was somehow really made of fog – and yet more solid than anything she'd ever seen until now. Her head was spinning. Slowly, Azula sat down, trying to take everything in.

Aang waited patiently, watching her. "Here we are," he said at length. "We're in the Spirit World. Is it what you expected?"

"I…don't know what I expected." Azula was irritated at her own reactions. She shook herself and rose to her feet again. Her hawk eyes swept their surroundings again. There was a wood to their left, with twisted trees that managed to look ancient and vibrant at the same time. There was a path that led into the forest. Azula took a deep breath and looked at Aang again. "Do we go that way?"

"Yes, we do." The young monk smiled and nodded. His gray eyes held a twinge of concern. "Are you sure you're ready, Azula? You can take your time."

"I'm ready." She lifted her chin defiantly and glared at him. "Now, are you going to drag me to see my supposed great-grandfather, or not?"

The Avatar shrugged. "All right." He turned toward the forbidding woods. "Stay close," he said, and started forward. Swallowing her dread, Azula followed after him.


	53. Chapter 53

It wasn't as if this was the first dangerous situation that Azula had ever been in. She had grown up in and around the royal court of the Fire Nation. She had led the unsuccessful charge against the mighty wall of Ba Sing Se, and then led her two most trusted henchmen to take the city by sabotage. She had engaged the Avatar himself in battle, more than once – and nearly killed him. She had faced him and his followers by herself on the Day of Black Sun, even while unable to firebend. She was no stranger to risk.

This, however, was a different kind of danger.

Azula had to admit, as she walked behind the orange-robed form of the Avatar, that she really had no idea what she was getting herself into. She was literally walking in the Spirit World – a place where, as far as she knew, no one but the Avatar was supposed to go until they were dead. Where exactly were they going? Had she made a mistake by coming here? – Although, if what Aang said was true, Azula had actually been drifting in and out of the Spirit World for some time already. She looked around at the forbidding trees and shivered. She'd seen some bewildering and terrifying things in her visions. If some of those had actually been _real... _

They walked in silence for some time. And then, abruptly, the forest parted in front of them, revealing a clearing. She peered past Aang, and saw nothing remarkable. It looked, in fact, like any other forest clearing – besides the strange, transluscent quality that everything had here. She could see no living soul. She watched as Aang went to the middle of the clearing and sat down, seemingly at ease, leaning back on his hands. Azula looked around. "Aren't we supposed to be meeting your Roku?" she asked sharply.

"We are." Aang grinned and shrugged. "He said he'd come, and he will. We'll just have to wait." She slowly followed him, her eyes sweeping furtively over the gnarled trees that surrounded them. The canopy of leaves and branches was thick, letting only a few shafts of pale light trickle through. Nervously, Azula stopped, still looking around. There was silence.

And then, as if they had simply materialized out of thin air, two people were walking toward them. One of them she recognized easily – the man who often rode a dragon in her visions, the man Aang had called Roku. The other was a woman with her head partially shaved to reveal an Air Nomad tattoo very like Aang's. She didn't seem familiar. Azula stood still, although she tensed as they came closer. Roku paused, bowing and smiling in the young monk's direction. "Welcome, Aang. I'm glad you've come." The strange woman bowed as well.

"Sifu Roku –Sifu Yangchen." Aang greeted both of them with cheerful gravity.

Roku's dark eyes turned on Azula. He was a tall man, with long white hair pulled up into a Fire Nation topknot, and a flowing white beard. She had to throw her head back to look him in the face. Fear was flowing through her body like icewater, but she tightened her jaw – she cowered to no one. Usually. (She had to hastily push away several disjointed memories from her time in the cave.) "And you are Azula, the youngest child of my granddaughter," he said. His wrinkled face was stern.

Stiffly, Azula bowed. "Yes. – Sir," she added grudgingly, feeling that addressing him by some title was probably appropriate.

"You two probably have a lot to talk about," Aang said, shooting a smile in Azula's direction. She repaid it with a cool glare. "I'll be back when it's time to leave, Azula." Yangchen glanced calmly at the former Fire Princess before walking off with Aang; the two of them disappeared amongst the ancient trees.

There was silence for a while. Azula still stood tall, although she was undeniably afraid. The power that flowed off this man – this spirit – was almost palpable. She had been terrified of him and his dragon before. Now, standing before him, she felt naked and vulnerable. Weak.

Ashamed.

It was this last emotion that was really making her squirm. Before her imprisonment, shame hadn't been something she'd had to deal with. But now...

Roku inclined his head abruptly and turned away from her. "Come," he said shortly. Azula suddenly realized that their surroundings had changed. Instead of the forest clearing, she was now standing at the foot of a gigantic volcano – she could see the smoke billowing from its mouth, hundreds of feet above her. Startled, Azula hesitated for a moment. Then she followed after the tall man. He didn't turn to see if she had obeyed him; his stride was long and confident. Azula nearly had to scramble to keep up with him. This annoyed her – it made her feel like a child.

Neither of them spoke until they had reached a plateau on the side of the mountain, looking out over a mist-shrouded valley. There Roku seated himself on a stone. He turned to look at Azula again. The force of his gaze hit her like a wave. To her irritation, Azula found herself sinking to her knees at his feet. She considered standing back up, but then thought better of it. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "Why did you bring me here?" she demanded. "Why have you been appearing to me for so long?"

His expression was still calm and guarded. "Why did you come?"

Azula's lips tightened and turned down a bit at the corners. She wanted to insist that he answer her questions first. He had the upper hand here, though. "I came because Aang said you might be able to help me," she admitted grudgingly.

"Help you with what, Azula?" His eyes bored into hers.

She wasn't sure how to answer him. What exactly did Aang think this man was going to help her with? Not escaping her brother. Her mental degeneration, perhaps? "I…" Her hawk eyes slid downward, breaking the contact with his. "I don't know. Sir." Her voice was bitter. She hated this – being questioned like a naughty child, and not knowing the rules of whatever game it was that they were playing.

Roku nodded thoughtfully. "Did you know that I was once good friends with your ancestor, Fire Lord Sozin?" he asked calmly. Azula's eyebrows lifted. "It's true. We grew up together, he and I. He was the Crown Prince, and I was his closest friend. My father was one of his father's advisors." Despite herself, Azula was interested. She'd never heard any hint of this connection between her maternal and paternal great-grandfathers, and she had studied her father's family tree extensively. "Do you know the story of how I died, Azula?"

"No, Avatar Roku." If she was honest with herself, Azula had never given much thought to Avatars at all, except during the time when her father had sent her to kill one.

"Fire Lord Sozin wanted to add to and spread the wealth of the Fire Nation by taking over the other nations," Roku said. "I advised him against it. Later, when he disregarded me and began to carry out his plan anyway, I acted. I destroyed the palace and most of the capital – but I stopped short of killing him." Azula's brow creased. "A few years later, the volcano near my house erupted. I held back the lava until the people could escape. Then I foolishly tried to save my home. The fumes overcame me, and I fell. Fire Lord Sozin was there. He chose to let me die so that he could move ahead with his plans for war."

At first, Azula smiled a bit. _Clever. Very clever, Great-grandfather._ Then she paused, remembering that Roku, too, was her ancestor. Then she was suddenly thinking of the Boiling Rock – the sight of Mai turning on her own people to save the traitor, Zuko – the pain of the blows Ty Lee landed later. The fury and anguish of their betrayal welled up once more inside her. And Ty Lee – especially Ty Lee. Azula had never dreamed that the little acrobat would turn on her, would strike her down -! And suddenly, she had a different perspective on what Roku had just told her. "He betrayed you," she said hollowly.

"He did." The Avatar's gaze caught and held Azula's masterfully. She couldn't have looked away if she had tried. "I let him go, and he nearly destroyed the world, and the balance between the four elements. It will be centuries before the damage is undone." His white brows lowered, and dangerous sparks began to dance in his eyes. "I will not make the same mistake twice, Azula."

There was a swell of power, and the volcano beneath them began to rumble and roar. His eyes began to glow with the same white light she had seen shooting out of Aang. Was he just going to destroy her, here and now? Azula struggled to stay still, fought to keep her fear in check. She would not show weakness – she would not! Roku's hands rose. Up above her, great, billowing clouds of steam and smoke belched out, and streams of lava began to flow down toward them. She staggered to her feet, stumbling back from where he sat. _Should I run?_ The lava was flowing swiftly; there would be no outrunning it.

So this was it, then. After all the struggle, all the fighting, all the running that she and Ty Lee had done over the past weeks, this was how it was going to end. She had willingly (stupidly!) allowed the Avatar to lure her into the Spirit World, and now she was about to…well, perhaps "die" was the wrong word, but she didn't know what other term to use. Azula gritted her teeth and faced the liquid fire as it raced down the slope toward her. _I'm sorry, Ty Lee._ She thought of the little acrobat, still faithfully waiting in the darkened room for her to wake – and now she never would. A pang shot through Azula's heart. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she fell on her knees; her eyes squeezed shut. _Ty…_

The rumbling stopped.

Quivering, Azula waited for a moment or two, then cautiously opened one eye. The lava flow had stopped, piling up into a sort of reddish wall a few hundred yards from where she knelt. She could feel the heat of it shimmering against her skin and radiating through the ground itself. Gasping, she slowly turned her eyes to Roku, who was still sitting placidly on his rock.

The glowing of his eyes had stopped. Quietly, the Avatar lowered his arms and tucked them neatly into the sleeves of his robe. "But then, perhaps you aren't like Fire Lord Sozin." Azula stared at him speechlessly. Her body still trembled. He frowned just a bit. "Come here, Azula." Still silently, the former firebender rose and did as she was told. She was no coward, but she knew better than to defy a being that had just displayed such raw power. He watched as she sank down at his feet again. "Are you like Sozin?" he asked quietly. "Tell me."

"I…don't know." Azula's voice shook a bit – she steadied it with pure force of will. "I never knew him."

It was as if he hadn't just come mere yards away from killing her only moments before. His expression was calm. "Would you sacrifice someone you love to your own ambitions?" His brow quirked.

Azula had the uncomfortable feeling that he already knew the answer to this question. She thought uneasily of the way she had thrown Mai and Ty Lee into prison when they had gotten in her way. Ty Lee still believed firmly that Azula would have had mercy once her temper had cooled – the Fire Princess still wasn't so sure that she would have. Azula could remember how driven she had been at the time, how furiously single-minded, how…how broken. The answer came to her unbidden. "Yes. I already have, once." Her voice was low.

"Would you do the same thing now?" Roku's piercing eyes caught hers again.

Would she? Azula thought of the little acrobat – pictured her round cheeks, her snubbed nose, and her huge gray eyes. She thought of how she had come to her every day in prison. She thought of how Ty Lee had risked capture to get her the moon cake she had wanted. She remembered the comforting warmth of the girl's body against hers when she had sobbed in terror in that cave out in the wilderness… If Ty Lee were to turn on her again and strike Azula down, what would she do? Azula tried to imagine having the acrobat thrown in prison again. She couldn't do it. "No," she whispered.

There was a pause. Then Roku seemed to shift gears. "There are two strains of blood in you, Azula, two strains of spirit," he said. "Your brother faces a similar struggle, because he shares your heritage. One strain flows down to you through the line of the Fire Lords. The other is the strain of Avatar blood…" He paused again, searching her face as if to see if she understood. Azula said nothing. "There are two natures at war within you. I believe that, until recently, the nature of your royal forefathers was very strong in you. Am I right?"

"Yes." Azula raised her chin. "I was Crown Princess of the Fire Nation!"

"But now, perhaps, things are not so simple." His eye glinted keenly. "Young Aang told me that your mind seemed to shatter when your brother defeated you. But I suspect that this shattering began long before that. When did it begin, Azula?"

The former firebender shifted uncomfortably. "It…began…" She thought back. "It began the day I threw my friends in prison." She scowled. "I gave them what they deserved. They both betrayed me! But…then I was alone. And…I started to see my…my mother."

The man nodded gravely, and was silent for a while. "The only help I will give you right now is some advice, great-granddaughter," he said finally. "Now that you know of these two warring natures within you, there is a choice you have to make. You can choose to be like your father and his ancestors, or you can choose to be like your mother and hers. Make your choice. Make it carefully. And once you have made it, Azula, act on it." She eyed him warily, her lip curling. "This advice probably isn't what you were hoping for, but it's what you need."

Azula scowled outright. "So that's it, then? You hassle me for months, call me to the Spirit world, drag me up a mountain, tell me some story about my great-grandfather, and then threaten to kill me – all just to tell me to be good and send me away again?"

"For now, yes." Roku's eyes twinkled just a bit as he stood. "I believe that Aang and Avatar Yangchen have finished their talk. We should go so that Aang can take you back to your own world." Still seething, Azula nonetheless rose to her feet. The landscape around them wavered like a mirage – wavered, then vanished entirely. Her feet were once more buried in the soft grass of the forest clearing. Disoriented yet again, the former princess rubbed her eyes.

Aang and the female airbender (what had Roku called her? Avatar Yangchen?) were approaching. Aang caught Azula's eye and gave a cheery smile and a wave. "Did you enjoy your time with your great-grandfather?" he asked. "Did you learn anything, Azula?" Scowling again, Azula looked away. She had no intention of sharing anything that had happened with the young monk. Aang was not in the least put out. He bowed respectfully to Roku and Yangchen. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome, Aang." Avatar Yangchen smiled. She had round, gray eyes very like his. Azula found herself wondering whether all Air Nomads had looked something like Aang – he was the only one she had ever seen before this. "May the winds of good fortune blow at your back."

Azula didn't really breathe easily until she and Aang were out of sight of Roku and his companion. She couldn't quite decide what she thought of her great-grandfather. Had she met him a year ago, she would have hated him instantly. She wasn't sure that she didn't hate him now, but…there was something about him…she scowled to herself. What had he said? Something about choosing between her two natures? All her life, she had wanted nothing more than to be like her great ancestors, so the choice should have been easy. But now…

She thought of Ty Lee, and wondered what the little acrobat would have thought. _Maybe I'll tell her about it, eventually,_ Azula mused. _It might be interesting to see what she'll say._

They had emerged from the wood, and stood once again in the small meadow where they had first entered the Spirit World. Aang turned to her. "Are you ready to go back now, Azula?" he asked her, his eyes smiling. Azula nodded quietly. She didn't sneer at him when he extended his hands to her; silently, she laid her fingers in his, and felt his hands close around them. "Take a deep breath." Aang's eyes twinkled before he closed them.

Just like the first time, light suddenly blazed out from him, consuming everything. Azula lost herself in it, unable to feel anything but his grip on her. She had no doubt that she would be utterly lost if he let her go; her grip tightened like a vise.  
And then there was darkness.

Azula was cold, and her body felt stiff and sore. She opened her eyes slowly, wincing, and found herself staring down at the dying flame of what remained of their candle. There was nothing left of it but a small puddle of wax, with a tiny bit of wick. As she watched, the flame went out, and a thin column of smoke rose up from it. Azula moved her shoulders and rolled her head gingerly. She had to stifle a groan as her stiff neck protested.

Faint light filtered in through the window above her head. It was early morning; they must have spent the night in the Spirit World. Azula looked up to find that Aang was already on his feet. He gave her a small smile. "I guess you'll be wanting to sleep for a while," he said. "We should wake Ty Lee and get you back to your room."

At his words, Azula suddenly became aware of how exhausted she was. She nodded curtly and forced herself to get up, ignoring the twinges from her knotted muscles. Her hawk eyes moved to the corner where she had last seen Ty Lee. The little acrobat was still there. She lay curled up on the floor like a kitten, her head resting on one arm; her round cheeks were rosy with sleep. Azula felt a sudden tenderness. She got up, moved across the room, and knelt down beside the little acrobat. "Ty Lee." She laid one white hand on the girl's arm.

Blearily, Ty Lee woke. It took a moment or two for her gray eyes to focus on Azula; then they did, and a sleepy smile slowly spread over her face. "'Zula," she murmured, raising a hand to cup the former firebender's cheek. Then she seemed to remember where she was. "Are you all right? Did you make it to the Spirit World?"

"Yes, and yes." Azula managed a small smile, even though she could hardly think of anything but how tired she was. "I need sleep, Ty. Get up. We're going back to our room."

"Okay, 'Zula." Rubbing her eyes, the little acrobat picked herself up off the floor.

Azula didn't remember much of their walk back to her quarters. She could barely keep her eyes open. She knew that Ty Lee helped her into her nightclothes, and she felt the girl's arms envelop her tenderly as she laid her head on the pillow, but she didn't open her eyes. "G'night, Ty," she mumbled. The last thing she knew before falling asleep was a gentle kiss brushing against her cheek.


	54. Chapter 54

**Author's Note : LEMON. PURE UNADULTERATED YURI LEMON PIE. If you have an issue with that, please skip this chapter. Thank you.**

Ty Lee lay peacefully, her head propped up on her hand. With the other, she gently stroked the soft strands of sable hair that were spread out over the pillows. Occasionally her fingers would leave the black tresses and move up to caress the head from which they had spilled; she drew her hand lightly over the sleeper's brow, or the white cheeks, or even occasionally the pale pink lips. Ty Lee's eyes were full of affection as they lingered on Azula's face.

It was so good to be with her princess again, and once more watch over her as she slept, waiting for her to wake. Back in the cave, Ty Lee had really been afraid that Azula would never really look at her again – that the former firebender's mind had finally snapped completely, and would never heal. The little acrobat whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the gods. Her fingers moved to trace the curve of Azula's cheek, then trailed down the sharp line of her jaw. She pulled her hand away. _I'll wake her up. I'd better stop. _Her eyes lingered on the girl's slender neck. For a moment, Ty Lee struggled with temptation. Then she sighed and gave in. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against the soft skin of Azula's throat.

There was a murmur, and she felt Azula's body stir against hers. She pulled back, and half-lidded amber eyes met her own. Ty Lee smiled – the expression was just a bit guilty. "Good morning," she said softly. "Well – evening, I guess."

Azula's hand slipped slowly down to the small of Ty Lee's back, and rested there. "What time is it?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

"Nearly seven o'clock in the evening," the little acrobat answered, placing another tender kiss beneath Azula's left ear. "I'm sorry I woke you. Do you want to sleep again, 'Zula?"

"I'm all right." The black-haired girl yawned a bit. "Well, maybe. I don't know."

The gymnast inched a little closer, putting both arms around Azula's body, and kissed her full on the lips. She felt the former princess respond, and shivered with happiness. One of her hands rested against Azula's side. She couldn't help but notice that Azula's loose, cotton shirt had pulled up part-way, leaving a gap between it and the waistband of her trousers. Ty Lee's fingers subtly caressed the bare skin between them. She hesitated; then, finally, she took a deep breath. "'Zula?"

"Ty." The pink lips curved with sleepy amusement, and she saw the amber eyes open a crack.

"I want to ask you something." The little acrobat's eyes lowered, unable to meet the other girl's gaze. "I know you're a princess, and...well, these things are different for you," she whispered. "And I know I'm not even a noble anymore. So I probably shouldn't even be thinking about this." She timidly looked up again. "You know that I love you, 'Zula. Right?"

Azula chuckled. "You sure tell me enough." Her white hand brushed the base of Ty Lee's spine.

Tears rose in the gymnast's eyes. She lifted her hand to lay it against Azula's face, threading her fingers into the thick, soft fall of her hair. "I want to do more than just kiss you. I want to show you how much I love you." A lump rose in her throat. She gathered her courage. "I...'Zula, may I...take you?"

The golden eyes opened fully. Azula pulled back a little and stared at her. Abashed, Ty Lee looked down. She could feel a hard knot forming in her stomach. _How could I even ask her that? I'm so stupid! Of course she shouldn't, she can't...she's still Fire Lord Ozai's daughter. What was I even thinking -? _"Ty Lee." The words were gentle. The little acrobat looked up to find the former firebender gazing at her intently. "Is that really what you want?"

Ty Lee's lip quivered, and one of the tears escaped its prison. "Yes," she whispered.

The former princess said nothing. Reaching up, she grasped Ty Lee by the wrist and drew her hand downward. The little acrobat's eyes widened in disbelief as she felt her own palm suddenly pressed against Azula's breast. She froze, not even daring to breathe. Azula favored her with a smirk – then she pulled Ty Lee in and pressed her lips hard against hers.

Everything else melted away. Ty Lee was suddenly only conscious of Azula – the taste of her mouth, her fragrance, the texture of her skin. She forgot her former timidity and thrust both her hands under Azula's shirt, skimming them over the smooth skin of the girl's belly. Then she pushed higher, feeling the ridges of her ribs and trailing her fingertips along the edge of her breast bindings. Ty Lee felt Azula's tongue flick across her upper lip. With a soft gasp, the little acrobat paused in her explorations and let her jaw go slack; her lover's tongue entered her mouth. For several moments their tongues pushed and wrestled against each other. At last, breathless, Ty Lee broke the kiss and moved lower, her lips nibbling and sucking at Azula's neck. Her hands resumed their stroking of Azula's sides.

She couldn't believe this was really happening. For weeks, she had longed to do this, hoping against hope that it would someday be a reality. And how here she was, actually on top of Azula, actually about to...to..! Ty Lee couldn't believe her good fortune. Tenderly, she slipped her hands from the other girl's warm skin and began to undo laces and buttons. Azula uttered a soft sigh as her shirt fell open. The little acrobat drew away the garment and let it drop to the floor. Then she slid both her arms beneath Azula's body, feeling for the clasps that held her bindings closed. The hands of the former princess hooked beneath the hem of Ty Lee's shirt and began to draw it upward. As the final clasp of Azula's breast bindings opened, she pulled the garment up and over Ty Lee's head.

Since Ty Lee didn't sleep in her breast bindings, she was now bare to the waist. She wasn't thinking about that, though – she was intent on her own work. Slowly, she drew away Azula's bindings and let them fall. For a moment, Ty Lee was transfixed. Then, very gently, she cupped the breasts of the former princess in her hands and lowered her head to kiss them. She heard Azula moan in pleasure; it added to her own. She trailed tender kisses over each soft mound. Then, her heartbeat quickening with anticipation, Ty Lee took one of the girl's nipples into her mouth.

Azula gave a soft cry as the little acrobat gently sucked. Ty Lee couldn't help smiling. She stroked her palms slowly down Azula's flanks as she teased the nipple with her tongue, wringing another moan from the girl's lips. Then she sucked again, more firmly this time. Azula squirmed and gasped.

It was everything Ty Lee had dreamed it would be.

Somewhere in their fevered gropings and writhings, Azula's cotton trousers were disposed of, and all of her creamy flesh was displayed for her lover. Ty Lee couldn't get enough. She kissed and licked and drew her hands over every inch of smooth skin that she could find, hearing Azula's gasps and cries of pleasure as if they were some sort of delirious dream. Then she found herself kneeling between the knees of the former princess, her hands squeezing and caressing the pale thighs. Azula's body writhed – Ty Lee knew that she was ready.

Moving slowly, the little acrobat covered Azula's body with her own. The former princess arched against Ty Lee, moaning, as their lips pressed together again. Ty Lee kissed her hungrily for a moment or two, savouring the taste of her. Then she slid her hand down Azula's flat stomach and slipped her fingers into the moist heat between her thighs.

The former firebender gasped into Ty Lee's mouth, her body going rigid beneath her. The little acrobat pulled back, watching her lover's face closely as she began a slow back-and-forth rhythm with her fingers. Azula squirmed under her touch, her breath coming in deep gasps, broken only by soft, ecstatic whisperings of Ty Lee's name. Her nails dug into Ty Lee's shoulders. The gymnast placed soft kisses along Azula's jaw and pulled back to watch her again, never pausing in her gentle thrusting. She watched Azula's face for some time. Several times, she quickened her rhythm; several times, she leaned in to tenderly kiss her lover's neck or jaw. At last, Azula's body spasmed, and her mewling stopped. Her legs clamped tightly around Ty Lee's body, and a high-pitched whimper burst from her throat; the acrobat felt her tighten around her thrusting fingers.

Azula collapsed back on the pillows, her muscles turning to water. Ty Lee withdrew her hand from between the girl's thighs and lay up against her, cuddling her head underneath Azula's chin. She listened contentedly to the former firebender's racing heartbeat for a minute or two. "So," she said shyly, after a while, "did I do a good job?"

Azula's soft laughter rippled in the stillness of the room. "Sufficient, I suppose." The long, white fingers of the former Fire Princess wove themselves through Ty Lee's hair, drawing her up for a kiss. Azula's amber eyes were soft as it broke. "Thank you."

"I love you so much, Azula." The little acrobat snuggled back down, burying her face in the side of the former firebender's neck.

It took a moment before Azula replied. When she did, the words were faint and rough around the edges, as though she had to fight to speak them. They were still music to Ty Lee's ears. "I know, Ty. I...I'm glad that you found me."


	55. Chapter 55

By the time footsteps approached her cell again, Mai thought she felt strong enough to endure whatever it was they had in store for her. She had slept for a long time. Then a guard had brought her something to eat. As plain as the meal was, it had been much more substantial than the few bites at a time they had allowed her to this point. Mai had finished it all, eating with a bit more haste than she normally would have – she half-thought someone might take it away from her if she didn't finish it quickly. And _then, _to her frank astonishment, they had brought her water to wash with and a change of clothes. Admittedly, it was just another prison uniform – but at least it was clean.

She almost felt like herself.

But now, of course, there were footsteps. Now they would come in and drag her off to do whatever it was they were going to do to her, and do their best to break her will. Mai wondered how long she could hold out under real torture. Exhaustion was one thing, but unbearable pain was another. She had great strength of will, but she doubted it would hold up long over, say, a session on the rack. Gathering up her strength, Mai rose to her feet and stood tall, her narrow eyes fixed on the door of her prison cell.

Four soldiers appeared. The guard at the door opened it, and the men entered. "Turn around," came the curt order. Impassively, Mai obeyed. "Put your arms behind your back." Heavy cuffs fastened around her wrists the moment that she complied. Then their hands closed on her arms, and she was escorted firmly from her cell. Mai held her chin high.

They took her down the short hall and to the interrogation room, a place she knew all too well. She offered no resistance as they stood her with her back against the wall. Already Mai was bracing herself for a long round of questioning. She glared at them defiantly – only to have her defiance turn to bewilderment as the soldiers filed from the room. The door closed, and she heard the lock turn.

Now she was confused. Mai frowned, twisting her arms in their restraints. What was the point of just leaving her here alone? Did they want to make her anticipate what they were going to do? She waited uneasily for several minutes. Then the door opened. Her heart nearly stopped. _"Zuko..."_

The young fire lord closed the door behind him and stood looking at her in silence, his arms folded across his chest. Mai struggled with the waves of emotion that threatened to shatter her stoic mask. Hurt, fury and fear washed over her in turn. She set her teeth and said nothing, only letting her nostrils flare slightly. "You won't have to spend any more time in this room," he said finally. His voice was flat and neutral. "We don't need you to tell us anything anymore."

Mai's heart sank. "You've caught them?" Her voice was hollow.

"Close. We're in contact with the people who have them. It's just a matter of negotiation now." His expression didn't alter. They stared at each other for a while longer. "So now I guess I'll have to have you held in prison until you stand trial in front of my council."

"I guess so." The words were hard and cold.

"Why didn't you just tell me where you sent her?" Zuko demanded, finally letting his anger show. "You had to know I'd catch them both sooner or later. Why would you take their side, Mai? Why?"

"I didn't 'take their side.'I stopped you from torturing Ty Lee to death for something she didn't know. How many times do I have to tell you?" Mai scowled at him. "But then again, why should I bother even telling you this? You obviously don't believe me. Is this just some kind of a preliminary before you tell your thugs to do to me what they did to her, Zuko?"

He winced visibly. "Of course not," he muttered. "I'd never let that happen."

"Oh, of course you wouldn't. But you'd order me badgered and starved and shut up in prison for two weeks. And you'd have no issue hanging me if your precious council told you to. Right?" Gold was usually a warm color, but her eyes were as cold as the northern seas. "Come off it, Zuko. You're not fooling anyone."

The Fire Lord's cheeks flushed. "You watch how you talk, Mai," he growled.

"Why? Are you going to have me whipped to teach me a lesson?" she asked coldly. "Or maybe just beaten. Or maybe you should go all the way and let them torture me? You've decided I'm a traitor, haven't you? So anything goes."

"That's not how it works, and you know it!" he growled in frustration. "You're...you're still my wife. I wouldn't just –"

"Your wife," Mai echoed. Her tone dripped scorn and sarcasm. "That's all this is about for you? The fact that I'm the Fire Lady? It wouldn't be _proper_ to have me tortured, of course. It just isn't _done."_

"No!" He lunged forward. Mai flinched despite herself, expecting a blow. Instead she found herself pinned up against the wall, with Zuko's hand clenched around her throat. It was hard to breathe. She forced herself not to show her sudden flash of fear – to look up at him as coldly as before. "No," he said again, angrily, his brows lowered in a scowl. She watched the torchlight play over the uneven skin of his scar as silence fell. "It's not just because of...of your rank. You know that." His grip loosened, but didn't release. "I trusted you, Mai. I _trusted _you."

The young noblewoman's eyes narrowed. "And I trusted you." She laid slight emphasis on the past tense. "Stupid of me, I guess. I should have known I'd never be the most important thing in your life. You did leave me to die at the Boiling Rock, after all. And you said it yourself then, didn't you? _This isn't about you. This is about the Fire Nation…"_

"Don't you dare use that against me!" he cried, his face flushing a furious shade of red. "I'm the Fire Lord. Of course my country and my people come first!" Mai shut her mouth tightly and looked away. "Don't you turn away from me," Zuko snarled. "I need you, Mai. I need you!"

"Of course you do." Her voice was cold. "Even your uncle couldn't mold you into the politician that you need to be. You want treason, Zuko? Here's real treason – your sister would have been ten times the Fire Lord you are, if she hadn't gone insane. At least _she_ was cold and ruthless, and _proud _of it. _You're_ just being a hypocritical ass!"

Zuko's face changed abruptly. The fire in his eyes chilled to ice. He released Mai's throat and stood regarding her. There was a calculating look in his eye that reminded her chillingly of his father. "So that's it, then. You actually do side with Azula."

Did she? Mai felt her anger subside a little as she considered the question. No, not exactly – not exactly. She still thought that Azula was vicious and wicked and deserved to die. "No, I don't. I don't, Zuko," she said softly. "She's a murdering bitch that should be hanged. But you're not who I thought you were, either. I'd have thought that you would believe me – that you would have at least listened to me before just handing me over to be tortured. Instead you just assumed I was a traitor, and…if I'm against you, Zuko, you turned me yourself."

"Right. You don't side with her at all, but she'd be a better Fire Lord." He sneered a bit.

"Damn it, Zuko, you're doing it _again!" _The assassin stamped her foot in exasperation. "Agni, you can be an idiot. Would you just listen to me? What I did had nothing to do with my siding with Azula. Ty Lee didn't _know_ where Azula was. If she'd gone through another session of torture like the first one, she would have _died. _And since you wouldn't listen to me, I sent her someplace safe. Or, wait – is that what you wanted? Did you _want_ Ty Lee to die? Were you just having her tortured to death instead of bothering yourself with a trial?"

"We're done here." Zuko moved back, folding his arms over his chest again. His face was still an icy mask. "You're going back to prison, and you're staying there. And since you're so attached to my sister and her whore, I'll do you a favor. You'll be tried along with them. You'll share their fate."

"Fine. You do whatever makes you feel like a big man, Zuko," she said coldly. "Your father would be proud."

_Crack! _Mai found herself down on her knees. Blood was dripping from her aching nose and puddling on the floor beneath her. _He…he hit me. Zuko hit me. _The shock of it made her head spin. Slowly, she raised her head to stare up at him, wide-eyed. His face was twisted in fury. "Don't you ever, _ever_ compare me to my father again," he snarled. "Do you understand me?"

"Oh, I understand, all right." Her lip curled. "I understand."

Without another word, Zuko turned away, crossed the room in three determined strides, and pulled the door open. The guards outside stiffened and saluted. "Take the prisoner back to her cell," he ordered. "Leave her hands bound, and shackle her legs – she is to be considered a traitor to the crown."

Mai was picked up off her knees and dragged from the room. They were much rougher with her than they had been before, although none of them struck her. They hauled her bodily back to her prison and threw her down. She narrowly avoided cracking her skull on the metal frame of her cot. Strong hands pinned her down as cold cuffs were fastened around her ankles. Squirming around, Mai managed to land an elbow into the ribs of one of the guards. This earned her several sharp kicks. They hurt. Still, she couldn't help feeling some sense of satisfaction as the door of her cell closed.

The true gravity of her situation slowly sank in as Mai squirmed up into a sitting position. She thought back over their conversation, wincing as she remembered a few of the things she'd said. She'd been angry – furiously angry, and hurt. And it seemed she had let that override her common sense. _Gods, I'm stupid. That's right, Mai – tell the Fire Lord that his traitor of a sister's better than he is. And while you're at it, compare him to the father he hates so much. At least you forgot to tell him that his dead mother sucks. _She closed her eyes and thumped her head back against the cell wall. _Why didn't I just walk over to the gallows and stick my head in the noose while I was at it?_

But there was no changing any of that now.


	56. Chapter 56

Ty Lee had spent a long and leisurely day in Azula's room. Jeong Jeong's servants had brought them all their meals there, and she had taken a bath that morning – a real bath, with hot water and soap, which seemed like an almost impossible luxury to her now. Ever since, she and Azula had lounged about, reading and resting and talking quietly. It was a welcome change of pace.

At the moment, Azula was draped lazily on her belly over the bed, her amber eyes only half-focused. She was shirtless. Ty Lee was massaging her back, gently restoring the flow of her chi. It felt very different from when she had done this before Azula's imprisonment. Then Ty Lee had been able to feel, very clearly, the tingling heat of the girl's firebending chi. Now that quality was missing completely. What remained was thinner, weaker – almost like tea that had been watered down. The little acrobat refrained from commenting on this, but it made her lip quiver a few times.

"I want to talk to you about something, Ty Lee." Azula closed her eyes, and then opened them again, turning her head a bit so that she could see her.

"Okay." The gymnast recognized the tone. She moved around to where Azula could look at her easily and knelt down, so that their faces were roughly on a level. "What about, 'Zula?"

"Some things happened while I was in the Spirit World," Azula murmured. Her fingers moved to play absently with the ends of Ty Lee's short hair. "I met my great-grandfather Roku, you know. And he told me some things. I'd just like to know what you think of them."

The little acrobat rested her head against the side of the bed, sighing contentedly as she felt Azula's hand brush over her scalp. "Okay, 'Zula. Tell me." She had to confess that she was curious about the girl's journey into the Spirit World – Azula had been close-lipped about it until now. She didn't think that she ever could have been brave enough to go, like Azula had done.

The former firebender's eyes were grave. "He told me that he knew Fire Lord Sozin," she said quietly. "They were friends, once. And Sozin betrayed him – let him die, so that he could start the War without the Avatar's interference." Ty Lee's brows shot up. "Yeah, I know. It's the first I'd heard of it, too. Anyway, that wasn't the point." Azula tugged gently on a strand of Ty Lee's hair. "He said I've got two different natures, two strains of blood. One's from the Fire Lords, of course – my royal blood. The other one's from the Avatar." The little acrobat's brow wrinkled as she considered this. "He basically told me that I have to choose whether I'm going to be like my mother or my father."

"Oh." Ty Lee eyed her uncertainly. She knew that Azula's parents were sore points with her, and she wasn't quite sure what would be a safe thing for her to say. "Um...what do you want me to tell you?"

Azula shrugged, the corners of her mouth quirking downward a little. "Whatever you're thinking. Whatever comes to mind." She stopped playing with Ty Lee's hair and rested her cheek on her folded hands. "Just talk to me."

"Okay...um..." The little acrobat fidgeted. "Well, you're...you're probably more like your dad than your mom. I mean, from what I remember. She was less...well, she wasn't quite as...driven. I guess." She gave Azula a sidelong glance. The former princess was watching her in silence; her expression gave no cue as to what she might be thinking. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Just tell me the truth," Azula said quietly. "I want to know what you really think. Don't be afraid. I promise I won't get angry with you." She reached out her thin fingers to tug gently on Ty Lee's bangs again. "Tell me the truth."

Ty Lee swallowed. "Well, okay." She took a deep breath. "You're...a lot like Ozai. Especially when you're angry, or...well, like how you treated Mai when she was our prisoner. Mai's our friend, you know? And you were really...harsh." She looked down, unable to meet Azula's steady gaze. "And those twelve soldiers that attacked us. I...don't really know what else you could have done, 'Zula, so maybe this isn't quite fair. But you killed them. I don't think your mother ever would have done that. It was really cold." There was silence for a few minutes as the little acrobat braced herself. "But you're less like your dad than you used to be, I think," she said softly. "He'd never have agreed to trust Aang and Toph and your Uncle Iroh. And if you were totally like him, you'd never have let me near you."

After a while, Ty Lee finally looked up again. Azula's face was still unreadable, but the acrobat thought her eyes looked slightly moist. "So I'm just like my father. I guess I knew that. It's what I strove for." The former princess let out her breath and rested her head on the bed beneath her, closing her eyes. "Do you think I should try to be different?" Her voice was low. "Do you think I even can?"

The gymnast hesitated. "Do you want to be?" she asked, her voice very gentle. Her hand stole out timidly to where Azula's lay against the bedspread, and clasped it.

"I don't know. Maybe." Azula's voice was muffled by the blanket. She turned her head and opened her eyes again. "Do you think I should change?"

Now this was a question Ty Lee had no idea how to answer. She blinked, and a lump rose in her throat. "What do you mean, 'Zula?" she pleaded softly. "I don't know what you want me to say. I love you. Whatever you decide, I'll still love you. You know that."

"No. No, now you're not being honest with me. You're trying to tell me what I want to hear instead of telling me the truth." Azula pulled herself up and sat cross-legged, frowning down at Ty Lee. The little acrobat cringed and swallowed a whimper. "I told you to be honest. Now answer the question." Her voice was stern.

"Okay." Ty Lee squirmed. "I guess I wish you were nicer sometimes, 'Zula. And Fire Lord Ozai was a powerful man, but...well, he did some really horrible things to people. If you have to choose, I kind of hope you'd want to be more like your...your mother." She flinched a bit, not daring to look up at the former princess. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't like her. I just want you to be you..."

There was a long silence. Humbly, Ty Lee looked up through her lashes. Azula's lips were tight, and her hawk eyes were slightly narrowed. "How could I be like her, even if I wanted to be?" she growled, thumping her fist against the bed in frustration. "I never _knew_ her. She was always with her _Zuzu, _and she was gone when I was nine."

Hesitantly, Ty Lee reached out to touch Azula's hand again. The girl didn't pull away. "I don't think he would've meant you had to be Ursa," she said. "You're not her, right? You're Azula. He probably meant that you should be a good _you."_

Azula scowled, turning away, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't see why everyone can't just leave me alone," she muttered. "I've got nothing left. They've taken everything. The least they could all do is go away."

The little acrobat slipped up from her place on the floor, insinuated herself behind Azula, and slid her arms around the girl's middle. Azula allowed it. Ty Lee hugged her gently, letting her ear rest against the other girl's back. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she whispered. "I know all this has to be really hard. I hope I haven't hurt you."

"No. You haven't." There was a touch of impatience in Azula's voice, but Ty Lee felt her relax. Her fingers intertwined with Ty Lee's and held her hands against her belly. The little acrobat closed her eyes. She could hear Azula's breathing; it was soothing.

There came a firm knock at the door. With a sigh, Azula gently disengaged herself from Ty Lee's embrace and rose to her feet. She slipped back into her shirt. "Come."

It was a servant boy. He was long and lanky, and looked about fourteen years old. He bowed. "There is to be a meeting," he said awkwardly. There was a glint of uncertainty in his eye as he looked at Azula. "Master Jeong Jeong sends word that you two should come, my lady."

Ty Lee saw Azula's eyes narrow. "What kind of a meeting?" Her voice rang like the crack of a whip. It was a tone she had often used with servants when she had been the pampered Crown Princess.

It seemed it was still effective. With a visible flinch, the boy bowed again. "He said they're to decide what to tell the Fire Lord."

"I see." The former firebender's expression didn't soften. "And who exactly are 'they,' pray tell?"

"You...you'll be told everything at the meeting, my lady." The young servant bowed a third time. It was obvious that he was terrified of her. "I...I can, um, wait for you in the hall..."

"Fine." Azula turned away with a dismissive wave of her hand. It wasn't quite so smooth a gesture as it had once been, but it was still as imperious as ever. "Go, then. We'll be out in a moment." The door closed behind him. Azula glanced at the acrobat. "Well, this should be interesting."

"Yeah." Ty Lee bit her lip, shifting nervously on the bedspread. "What do you think that meant – 'what they're going to tell the Fire Lord?'?"

"That should be obvious, Ty Lee." Azula turned to the boarded window, her hands clasped behind her back. "They did say they were supposedly going to persuade my brother not to put my head on a pike. So now they're going to question us and see if we're worth their trouble, or if they should just clap us in irons and hand us over." She paused. "Ty, they gave us hair ties, didn't they?"

The abrupt change of subject made Ty Lee blink. "Um...yeah, they did give us a few..."

"Bring me one," Azula ordered. The little acrobat went to their vanity, rummaged through a small box on it, and came back with a green ribbon. Azula sat down in the armchair and motioned. "Put my hair up for me. I'm tired of looking like an escaped mental patient," she said. "You do remember how to do the royal topknot, right?"

"Of course, 'Zula." Ty Lee took a moment to fetch a brush. Then she combed out Azula's hair carefully. Even though it only fell to her shoulders, it was still long enough; with tolerable skill, the gymnast twisted and brushed until she got it into a topknot, and secured it with the ribbon. Then she stepped back to appraise her work. It was a bit of a shock. It had been so long since she had seen Azula with her hair up that she'd almost forgotten what it looked like. There she was – the imperial Fire Princess, almost as she had been back before the War had ended. Ty Lee's gaze fell under Azula's. "You look...different. I guess I'm not used to it anymore."

"It has been a while," Azula agreed quietly. She rose from the chair and went to the vanity. There she stood silently, gazing at herself in the mirror. Then Ty Lee saw her back straighten. The hawk eyes flicked over to where she stood. "Well, then," she said, "let's go." The little acrobat nodded and meekly followed after her as they headed for the door.


	57. Chapter 57

As they walked together down the corridor, Ty Lee felt Azula's hand catch her by the wrist. Her step faltered as the former princess pulled her close to whisper in her ear. "You remember what I said back at the cave?" she murmured. "You're still my mouthpiece, Ty Lee. So you'll do the talking."

"What?" Ty Lee stared at her in disbelief. "B-but...I don't know anything about laws and politics and...and public speaking. And I'm not nearly as smart as you! 'Zula, I can't -"

"Do you refuse?" Azula's black brows lowered just a bit. "Ty, you know everything that's happened as well as I do. Better, in fact – I've been out of my mind half the time. And besides, no one will believe one word that comes out of my mouth. You know that." Ty Lee opened her mouth to protest again. "Ty." The grip on the little acrobat's wrist tightened. "Do you trust me?"

The objections died on Ty Lee's lips as she heard this. She bowed her head. "Of course I do, 'Zula," she said humbly. "If....If you really think this is best..." The former firebender nodded, her face relaxing a little. "But please, promise you'll step in if I start really messing up, okay?"

"Of course." Azula turned her eyes back on the servant who was leading the way. "But you'll do fine, Ty." Her expression was serene – she showed no sign of the crippling dread that Ty Lee was feeling. The acrobat wiped her damp palms nervously on her trouser legs. She could understand why Azula was doing this, but she couldn't help but question her judgment.

They were taken to the hall they had first walked down on reaching Jeong Jeong's house. Four men appeared, seemingly out of thin air, to flank them; Ty Lee noted the insignia on their tunics, and thought they were probably the same guards who had escorted them to their rooms in the first place. She bit her lip and glanced at Azula. The former princess wore a faint frown, but she made no comment on their new escort. _How can she stay so calm? Especially when she was so afraid of everything back in the cave! Something must have happened when she and Aang went to the Spirit World. _Ty Lee wondered what it was.

Iroh was waiting for them just outside a door. He inclined his head gravely as the two girls reached him. "Azula – Ty Lee." The little acrobat bowed with a small smile. His dark eyes rested on Ty Lee for a moment before moving back to his niece. "We've begun discussions about what should be done with you two, Azula. This is only a preliminary meeting, you understand. Most of us haven't even decided what we think about things yet."

Azula's eyes met his steadily. "And who exactly are 'we,' Uncle?"

"You will see that shortly." He paused. "I thought you should know before you go in that your brother is here, Azula."

Ty Lee's breath caught in her throat. She felt her hands start to shake. Snippets of memory flashed before her eyes. _The pressure of a hand on the scruff of her neck, pinning her head down against the cold stone of the floor. The burning pain of her torn, bleeding back. The dull ache as her left arm was brutally twisted up behind her. Her own piercing cries as the merciless mallet struck at the fingers of her right hand. _Ty Lee's knees suddenly grew weak, and she felt the blood draining from her face.

"My brother is here?" Azula's voice was sharp. "What is this, Uncle? Just some trick to hand us over to him?"

"There is no trick," Iroh said gravely. "Aang told you that he would advocate for you. How do you expect him to advocate if he isn't talking to Zuko?" He indicated the door behind him with one hand. "We've been discussing what charges Zuko brings against you, and I think we now understand his position. This is your first chance to lay out your defense, and tell us why we should ask your brother to spare your lives. It isn't a trial, and no final decisions will be made – but I think you know that first impressions are important, Azula."

The former firebender's lips tightened into a thin line. "Ty Lee is speaking for me," she said shortly.

"Oh?" He looked at the little acrobat with a flicker of keen curiosity. Ty Lee, still pale and trembling, let her gaze fall to the floor. "An interesting choice. Do you think yourself unfit for it?"

"Simple logic," Azula said coldly. "I've spent most of this year in a state of raving insanity, from what people tell me. I don't even remember most of what's happened in the last few weeks. Even if I'm feeling somewhat better now, my judgment would have to be suspect. Don't you think so, Uncle?"

"Perhaps." He let his gaze linger on Ty Lee for a moment or two longer, then turned away. "Come. They're waiting." Azula followed him through the door without hesitation. Ty Lee paused. Her legs still felt weak – she wondered if she might faint. She sucked in a deep breath. Then, like a diver springing into the water, Ty Lee quickly stepped over the threshold.

The room wasn't exceptionally large, but it had a high, vaulted ceiling that gave the impression of space. Chairs had been set up in a semicircle along the far wall, facing the door. Aang and Katara sat to the right, while Jeong Jeong's chair rested in the center of the semicircle. Toph was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside Aang's seat. An unfamiliar man was sitting to the left, a dark-skinned man who looked to be in his late sixties, but Ty Lee barely glanced at him. She had eyes only for the golden-eyed young man who was sitting beside Jeong Jeong. _Zuko. _Ty Lee didn't hesitate. Instinctively, she dropped to her knees and bowed low. There she stayed, her heart in her throat, as she waited for someone to address her.

"Azula," came Iroh's congenial voice, "this is Master Pakku, the waterbending master of the Northern Water Tribe. I think you know everyone else here." Ty Lee heard Azula make a sound of assent. "Now, as this is the house of Jeong Jeong, he will have the honor of directing this meeting." Peering up through the fringe of her bangs, Ty Lee saw General Iroh move to a chair beside the dark-skinned man – _Master Pakku, _she told herself – and sit down.

Jeong Jeong inclined his head in Azula's direction. "You will hear the charges against you, now, and have the opportunity to defend yourself, Azula," he said calmly.

The former princess was standing a pace or two in front of Ty Lee, so the little acrobat couldn't see her face. She was standing with her back perfectly straight, her shoulders square, and her hands clasped behind her back – the attitude of the military general she once had been. "Since my sanity and judgment are suspect," Azula said coolly, "Ty Lee will speak for me." That was all. Without another word, Azula took two steps backward, so that she stood slightly behind the bowing acrobat. There was silence. Slowly, Ty Lee rose up to her knees, lifting her eyes to look at the impromptu tribunal.

Zuko's face was as hard as chiseled stone. Ty Lee flinched a bit before turning her gaze to Jeong Jeong, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. He looked grave, but not unfriendly. "Very well. If you are speaking for Azula, then I'll direct the questions to you, Ty Lee. I'll list the charges that Fire Lord Zuko has laid out, and you can respond to them one at a time. Unless you'd rather simply address them all at once?" He paused. The little acrobat shook her head vigorously, alarmed at the thought of having to remember so much at once. "All right. I'll begin with the charges against Azula." He referred to the scroll in his hands. "Fire Lord Zuko has graciously agreed to confine this to her actions after being thrown into prison; her crimes prior to the end of the War will not be brought up. So, first – through her contacts, Azula attempted to have her brother assassinated." He paused.

Ty Lee didn't know what to do. She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty. "She, um...well, that's true," she admitted. Her mind raced as she tried to find some defense for her. "But...it didn't work, right?"

"Evidently not." Jeong Jeong looked down at the scroll calmly. Zuko's lips twitched into a slight smirk. Ty Lee saw Katara scowl and shift in her seat. Even Aang seemed sober; the little acrobat hung her head, fidgeting with her hands again. She really had no idea what to say. "So. We will skip over her escape from prison, since it seems obvious that she had little to do with that. Once you two were tracked to Ember Island, Fire Lord Zuko claims that you took his wife hostage and stole a war balloon to make your escape. Is that true?"

"Well...yeah." Ty Lee rubbed the back of her neck. "Azula thought it might buy us some time if we took Mai, you know? Because all those soldiers had orders to kill us on sight, and we couldn't really defend ourselves. I mean, I could, but Azula couldn't...anyway, yeah, we took Mai. And we made them think we were on the ferry, and took the balloon when they weren't watching. We had to. We'd have been killed if we stayed where we were, and the warships would have caught us easily if we'd taken some little fishing boat instead..." Her voice trailed off as she caught a cold glare from Zuko. "We didn't hurt her," she quavered.

If it were possible, Jeong Jeong's expression grew even graver. "That brings us to one of the more serious charges," he said quietly. "Fire Lord Zuko claims that Azula killed twelve soldiers – nine Fire Nation men, and three from the Earth Kingdom. Can you tell us what happened?"

Ty Lee shivered, turning her eyes away from the dark accusation on Katara's face. "Yes." Her voice was soft. "Those soldiers found us. We couldn't run very fast, you know, because Azula's ankles are kind of messed up. Anyway, they found us. I was the only one who could fight, so I knocked them all out, except one. He threw me against a rock, and I hit my head. When I woke up, they were all dead. Azula told me she'd...killed them." She clenched her fists desperately. "Look, I know that...well, that wasn't okay, all right? And I don't know a lot about laws and politics and stuff. But those guys were going to kill us. We couldn't have surrendered, because then we'd have been dead. And we couldn't take them prisoner – there were twelve of them! And we couldn't just run, because Azula can't walk properly. You've all seen how she limps. What else were we supposed to do?"

There was silence. Ty Lee could feel the weight of their disapproval. She felt a lump rising in her throat. _I'm not smart enough to do this properly. Oh, why couldn't Azula just speak for herself? _After a while, Jeong Jeong again consulted his scroll. "It seems those are all the charges against Azula, and against the two of you together. There are a couple of charges against you personally, Ty Lee. This is your chance to respond. Firstly – that you attacked Fire Lady Mai, stole her signet ring, and broke Azula out of prison."

The little acrobat was so miserable that she didn't feel like defending herself. She shrugged her shoulders a bit and looked down at the floor. "Yes. I did. I couldn't let them kill Azula."

"And you escaped from prison yourself recently. You vanished from the holding cells of the Fire Nation embassy about a month ago. Correct?"

This gave Ty Lee pause. She wasn't certain how much was known about Mai's involvement in that. She knew that Zuko had thrown her into a cell, but that didn't necessarily mean that he _knew_ everything. The gymnast took a breath. "Yeah. I did." She said nothing more.

As Jeong Jeong began to read his scroll again, Azula cleared her throat. Ty Lee felt the girl's foot nudge her leg. "Before we move on from that," the former princess said, "there's something else that I'd like put on the record." Looking up, Ty Lee saw that Azula's eyes were narrowed and focused on her brother. There was a red flush rising in her pale cheeks. "Since we're discussing prison sentences and so on. You know, it's relevant." Her lips curved into a cold smirk. "Show them your back, Ty Lee."

There was silence. Aang looked bewildered, and Katara looked as if she thought that Azula had truly lost her mind. Toph was frowning slightly. Iroh's expression didn't change. Nervously, Ty Lee glanced at Zuko, and saw that he was glaring furiously at his sister, his teeth bared in a snarl. The little acrobat flinched and looked away. Slowly, she turned her back to the semicircle of chairs and pulled up her shirt to bare her whip-scarred flanks. She heard Katara utter a strangled gasp. "This," came Azula's smooth voice, "is evidence of what my brother did to her. She also has some trouble with her hands, although she wouldn't tell me why. Maybe we should ask the mighty Fire Lord about it."

"Maybe we should. We will, when the time comes." That was Iroh, his voice steady. "Right now, you have the floor. Do you have anything to say about this, Ty Lee?"

The girl pulled her shirt back down and turned once again to kneel facing their accusers. "Not much," she said in a small voice. "They beat me. They broke most of my fingers. I...I don't really want to talk about it, please." She cast another fearful glance at Zuko; his blazing eyes made her cringe.

"All right. We'll let it go, for now." Jeong Jeong was scribbling something down on his scroll as he spoke. "Do either of you have anything else to say while you still have the floor? Now is the time to say it. This will determine how we continue our negotiations with the Fire Lord, here." His eyes met Ty Lee's, and then Azula's. "Is there anything else you want to say in your defense?"

"I have nothing to add." Azula's voice was cold and clinical. The little acrobat shook her head miserably – she could think of nothing more.

"Very well." The master of the house stood and gestured. "Then you will be escorted back to your rooms. You will both be sent for again when you are needed."

Ty Lee couldn't help but feel that she had failed. She walked dejectedly behind Azula as they were taken back to the quarters they shared. When the door closed behind them, Azula went at once to the vanity, and pulled the ribbon impatiently from her hair. Her raven locks fell loosely over her shoulders as she tossed the hair tie onto the table. Then she tossed herself down on her armchair and crossed her legs at the ankles, her brows lowered.

Meekly, Ty Lee sank down at Azula's feet and rested her head on the other girl's knees. "I'm so sorry, 'Zula," she whispered. "I don't think I did very well at all..."

"You were fine." The words were curt; Ty Lee flinched. A moment later she heard Azula sigh, and slender fingers brushed over the side of her face. "You were fine," the former princess said again, more softly this time. "I couldn't have persuaded them any better than you did. I might be more eloquent than you are, but they wouldn't have listened to me...and they might pity you, Ty. They might pity you." The little acrobat's lip quivered. "You did fine." Azula's words were almost gentle. But as badly as Ty Lee wanted to, she still couldn't bring herself to believe them.


	58. Chapter 58

Azula lay very still, lost in thought. She and Ty Lee had gone to bed about an hour before. The little acrobat had fallen sound asleep in minutes, her head pillowed in the crook of Azula's shoulder. She hadn't so much as twitched since.

Calmly, Azula looked down at her. Ty Lee's lips were curved into a tiny smile, and her fist was resting on the flat surface of the former firebender's belly. She looked content. She hadn't looked so peaceful when they had first come back from the meeting, Azula reflected. Ty Lee had been convinced that the meeting had been a colossal failure, and that her own lack of speaking skills had been the cause of that. It had taken Azula quite a long time to reassure her. She had finally been able to convince the little acrobat that _she_, at least, had considered Ty Lee's performance a success. This had seemed to placate her, at least a little.

The former princess noticed that a strand of hair had fallen in the girl's face. Very gently, so as not to wake her, Azula brushed it away. She hadn't told Ty Lee all of the reasons that she had more or less forced her to do the talking. She'd told her a number of them, of course – the fact that Ty Lee was a more sympathetic figure than she was, for example, and the fact that her own memory was a bit suspect. Mostly, however, Azula had wanted to watch their enemies and supposed allies. She'd wanted to note their reactions to things, and figure out where everyone stood; she'd wanted to figure out, as much as she could, whether she and Ty Lee actually had a chance.

She'd come away from the meeting instructed, if not much encouraged. Her brother, of course, was hostile. (Not that she could really blame him, she supposed.) Her uncle seemed to be reserving judgment, and had showed little reaction when Ty Lee's ugly scars had been revealed – Azula suspected he had known about the torture beforehand. The Avatar had, of course, been horrified at the revelation. Even his waterbender had looked shocked. (Azula wondered if the pity card might be useful in swaying her. For all of the hostility in the girl's ice-blue eyes, she suspected that Katara might actually have a soft heart.) The Deserter (Azula couldn't yet bring herself to refer to him by his name) had been largely unreadable, as had the old man from the Northern Water Tribe. The young earthbender, Toph, hadn't said much. From what Ty Lee said, though, Toph was more or less on their side, in that she didn't like the idea of their being mistreated.

So. Out of six people, at least one wanted her and Ty Lee to be put to death. Three were unknown quantities, one was a strong advocate, and one a lukewarm one. Azula frowned, pulling their blanket up absently to cover Ty Lee's exposed shoulder. The little acrobat murmured, burrowing her head deeper into Azula, and lay still. Her breathing grew even again. The hawk eyes of the former princess softened. When they had first gone to bed, she had known that Ty Lee wanted to do more than sleep by her furtive glances and subtle touches, but the acrobat hadn't asked, and Azula hadn't offered. It wasn't that she hadn't _wanted_ to – she had. But she needed to think, and she'd been quite sure that she wouldn't be able to think properly later if she surrendered herself to Ty Lee's intoxicating touch. It was hard enough to keep her mind in order without such distractions.

...Which were distracting her even now. Azula squeezed her eyes shut and determinedly turned her mind back to the task at hand. _Out of six people, we have one on our side, and one who might advocate for us a little, but probably wouldn't lodge too many protests if the dice rolled against us. Those aren't great odds. _She sighed a bit. _Okay, so never mind the numbers. Think about Zuko himself. What's his weak point? _It was so hard to think – her brain had to fight to remember things that had once come to her effortlessly. Azula clenched her teeth in frustration. _Normally I would have said Mai. But he's evidently thrown her in jail, so we can't get to him that way. He'd probably do anything Uncle Iroh told him to do. Can I exploit that? _But her uncle, she knew, was not a man easily swayed. She scowled up at the ceiling. _Well, I have to at least try it. I'll ask to see him and lay out my case. If I can't get him on my side, maybe I can at least get him on Ty's. _She sighed softly, looking down at the peaceful face of the little acrobat. Very gently, she kissed Ty Lee's forehead. It was something she probably wouldn't have done if the girl had been awake. _Maybe I'll just get some sleep. Things might be clearer in the morning. _Azula closed her eyes, slipping a possessive arm around Ty Lee's waist.

"Azula." The voice was male, and insistent. Groggily, she opened her eyes again, realizing that she must have fallen asleep. There was a strange glow coming from the direction of the door; Azula turned her head, squinting.

The grave face and long silhouette of Avatar Roku greeted her. Startled, Azula sat up, rubbing her eyes with her arm. "Great-grandfather Roku?" she muttered sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled a little. "Well, that's a better greeting than the ones you used to give me, child," he said. "I'm glad you recognize me now." Azula frowned – she didn't like being reminded of the terror of her visions. He beckoned. "Come. There's someone who wants to talk to you, Azula. She's been waiting a long time."

The former princess thought she knew who he might mean. She hesitated, looking down. Her own body lay beneath her, still intertwined with Ty Lee's. Azula shivered and looked away. She still couldn't get used to seeing herself from the outside. "I take it I've drifted into the Spirit World again."

"A guided drifting, perhaps." Roku seemed amused. He extended his hand. "Come, Azula."

Still, she hesitated. She wasn't so sure she was ready for this. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you will go peacefully back to sleep. But there is always a certain danger in refusing to face these things, great-granddaughter," he said gravely. "I'm sure you're beginning to understand the nature of your sickness. Are you not? And I imagine you can guess, from that, what the consequences would be if you continued this way."

Azula eyed him. She did have some idea of what he meant. She knew that she had first begun to fall apart when Mai and Ty Lee had turned on her, and gone to pieces completely when her father had left her behind just before the final battle of the War. She'd been unable to face the facts that these events had forced painfully on her mind – _I am alone. I am alone, and my father has been using me, just like he used and discarded Zuko. _She'd talked so easily about being a monster before...but it was then that she started to get glimpses of what that really meant. Azula shivered a little, closing her eyes. She suspected that going with Avatar Roku now was one of the few options that stood between her and permanent insanity. "All right," she said quietly. "I will come." She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

The room rippled like the surface of a pond, and their bed was suddenly floating near the shore of a lake. Where there had been floor just beneath Azula's dangling feet, there was now only water, its smooth surface broken by a few white stones. She stopped uncertainly and glanced back down at the bed, where Ty Lee slept on, oblivious. "Your friend is safe," Roku said. "Don't be afraid for her." Azula looked up to where he stood on the shore. With a deep breath, she stepped onto one of the white stones, making her way carefully to solid ground. The rocks felt smooth beneath her bare feet.

When Azula had reached the shore, she drew herself up and looked at her guide. "All right," she said, as bravely as she could. "Let's go."

"As you wish." There was a flicker of amusement in Roku's dark eyes, but he made no further comments. He led her away from the shore of the lake, toward a dirt path that led up over the crest of a nearby hill. There he stopped and looked down at her. "This is the way," he said simply. "Stay on the path, and it will lead you where you need to go."

She looked at it for a moment. "You're not going with me?"

"No. Not this time." Avatar Roku smiled and shook his head. "I would only be in the way. This is something you have to do yourself, Azula." He slipped his hands into his wide sleeves and inclined his head. "Go. And don't leave the path."

The former princess looked at the slope that lay ahead of her. Silently, she began to walk. The dust of the path was soft and warm under her feet. She glanced up at the sky. It looked a bit warmer than it had the last time she had come to the Spirit World, but it still had that odd, misty quality. She could see no sign of the sun, even though it was obviously daylight here. With a shrug, Azula turned her eyes back to the path ahead of her. As she reached the crest of the hill, she suddenly stopped.

The scene ahead of her was achingly familiar. There were a few beautifully-cultivated trees – flowering cherries and weeping willows. The fragrance of the blossoms wafted to her on a gentle breeze. In the midst of them, underneath the drooping leaves of one of the willows, was a small pond, carefully ringed with smooth stones. Turtle-ducks swam in the water. And there, reclining gracefully by the water's edge, was a woman. And she, too, was achingly familiar.

Azula's feet felt as if they had been fused to the ground. She couldn't move, could hardly even breathe. Even though she had expected this, the impact of it was still bewildering. Her lips moved in an almost soundless whisper. "Mother."

As if she had heard it, Ursa sat up, and her head turned toward her daughter. Azula's breath hitched in her throat as those eyes – so very much like her own – met hers. Emotions shot through her in overwhelming waves. _Anger. Deep, unappeasable pain. Resentment. Loneliness. And...love? Yes, it was. Raw, aching, unrequited love. _She was trembling now, barely able to hold back the flood of tears that was building up inside her.

The woman extended one white hand to Azula. Her lips curved into a gentle smile. The shivering girl could see the sad tenderness in her face. "Azula," she said gently. "I'm so glad you came."

She could hold back no longer. Azula slowly began to move forward. Then faster – then almost a run, as tears finally burst through the walls she had thrown up and coursed down her cheeks. With a choked sob, she threw herself down into the arms that were opened up to her. And then she was sobbing in her mother's embrace like a little child, her face pressed into the warm fabric of her dress. This wasn't how she had pictured this happening. Azula had expected to be angry – to furiously confront her mother with her record of wrongs. And she _was_ still angry, but...but she couldn't bring herself to do anything other than cry. She felt a gentle kiss against her brow; it only made her sob harder. She could hear her mother's soft voice murmuring words of love and comfort.

How long Azula cried, she didn't know. Finally, spent and shuddering, she lay quietly in her mother's arms. She felt Ursa kiss her forehead again. "Are you all right now, Azula?" she asked. "Are you ready to talk?"

"O...okay." The former princess didn't try to get up. She shut her eyes. "You left me," she quavered, her voice small and petulant.

Ursa sighed. "I know, my dear. I'm so sorry."

"You left me," Azula said again. Her grip on Ursa's arm tightened. "And you...you loved Zuko more!" She knew that she sounded like a weak and irritable child, but she couldn't seem to help herself – the words poured from her mouth. "You c-called me a monster, and...and you loved him more!"

Azula felt her hair being gently stroked. "I love you, Azula," Ursa said quietly. "And I did call you a little monster sometimes when I was angry with you. I'm sorry that hurt you."

"But...Father said..." There were new thoughts dawning in Azula's mind as she struggled to make sense of everything. "Father said you thought I was just like him. And he said you hated him, and that's why you hated me and thought I was a monster. And...and that you loved Zuko because he was weak, just like you..."

"I did think you were more like your father than Zuko was," Ursa affirmed. "But I didn't hate your father, and I certainly never hated you."

Was this the truth? Azula somehow knew that it was. She thought back. _Father said most of those things just before Mother left, and right after. I never would have had a chance to see if they were true, even if they had been. He...he was lying to me about that, too. Was everything he ever said to me a lie? _She took a deep breath, opening her eyes and sitting up on her heels. Ursa let her pull away. They looked at each other in silence for a while. "Why did you call me here?" Azula asked softly.

"I've been trying to talk to you for a long time, my love." Ursa smiled and lifted one shoulder. "You haven't reacted well, but I suppose that was to be expected." She put out her hand and clasped Azula's fingers in hers. "Can't a mother just want to talk to her daughter, Azula?"

"I...guess." The former princess eyed her uncertainly.

"Grandfather Roku tells me you're having some troubles." The older woman brushed her fingers through Azula's bangs. "Tell me about them, my love."

With a sigh, Azula let herself be drawn back into the embrace. She closed her eyes and started to tell her story, beginning with the moment her father had sent her out to find the Avatar and her older brother. She left nothing out. There was great relief even in telling the story, somehow – as if a heavy weight was lifting off her shoulders as she spoke. Finally, she finished with an account of that day's meeting. "...And then, after we said we didn't have anything more to say, we got sent back to my quarters," she said quietly. "And here I am."

Ursa shook her head. There was lightning flickering in her normally-gentle eyes. "You and your brother," she said darkly. "I almost wish I were still alive. Both of you could use a good spanking." Azula's brows lifted a bit. "But really, Azula. You tried to kill him? Shame on you."

"He threw me in a cage," Azula mumbled, her ears beginning to feel a bit hot. "And he had me chained up like an animal."

"And shame on him for _that._" Ursa sighed, shaking her head again. She stroked Azula's black head slowly. "But you're going to be good now, aren't you? You're going to tell the truth, and listen to your uncle, and be kind to poor Ty Lee. Right?"

The former princess fidgeted. "Uh..."

Ursa caught Azula's eyes with her own. "Go and talk with your Uncle Iroh," she said firmly. "He's a good man. Tell him everything. Tell him the truth. And then take his advice, no matter what advice he gives you. He can be trusted, Azula."

"Okay." The girl's voice was quiet. Her mother's advice was lining up with what her own instincts had told her.

Gently, Ursa drew her cool hand over Azula's forehead. The former princess sighed and closed her eyes. She was starting to feel sleepy. "We'll talk again, Azula," her mother said. "Come to me whenever you like. For now, rest. Don't worry about anything. I'll put you to bed." Azula murmured her assent. She was already more than half asleep. She felt a light kiss on her cheek. With a deeper sigh, Azula surrendered to her weariness, her heart full of something very like peace.


	59. Chapter 59

There _were_ worse things than boredom or dread. Of course there were. And there were certainly worse discomforts than cramps in the shoulders. But considering what she had already been through in the past month or so, Mai thought she was fully justified in complaining about these things. ...Not that she had anyone to complain to, of course. And not that she would, even if she had the opportunity. After all the trouble her mouth had already gotten her into, Mai thought it would be best to keep it shut for a while.

The dull throbbing of her nose had long since faded, but it still twinged every now and then. She suspected it was broken. She still remembered her husband's face just before the blow had landed, and the blazing fury in his eyes – eyes that had seldom looked on her with anything more serious than frustration. Mai shivered at the memory and scowled to herself. _That bastard. I can't believe he's done all this to me. I can't believe he won't listen! He's been an idiot before, but never like this. If I had my hands free and a knife, I'd show him a thing or two. _Tears of hurt and anger stung her eyes. She blinked them back resolutely. _And all this has been for nothing, maybe. He said Azula and Ty Lee were caught by someone, didn't he? - That it was only a matter of negotiation? For all I know, he's got them already. _Mai let her head fall forward. _Poor Ty. She might be stupid, but I think she really just loved that demoness. And now she'll probably swing for it._

Mai had never had much faith in human nature, but recent events were proving her right more than even she liked.

Wearily, the prisoner sat back on her cot, trying fruitlessly to wriggle her bound hands into a more comfortable position. She stared at the far wall. She had just about run out of things to count. Lacking stones and ceiling beams and knots in wood, Mai had counted the bars that made up the fourth wall of her cell. Then she had counted the bars in the cell across the hall from hers, and found it had the same number – nine across, and three crossbars. Then she had counted the stones and ceiling beams in the hallway. And now...now she was just driving herself insane, going over and over her last conversation with Zuko, turning each syllable upside-down and inside-out, trying to figure out what was going to happen to her now.

She shouldn't have told him Azula would make a better Fire Lord than he did. That she was certain of. She'd really only said it to hurt him. Of course Azula was much better than he was at controlling people, and she was a natural politician, weaving her persuasive speeches effortlessly. But what Zuko lacked in smoothness, he more than made up for in mercy. Mai shuddered to think of what the Fire Nation might have done under the leadership of his bloodthirsty younger sister.

_Mercy. _Mai played idly with the word, rolling it on her tongue. That certainly wasn't something that Zuko seemed inclined to show Azula, or anyone with the temerity to side with her. Mai didn't really blame him. His sister had used up her stock of leeway long ago. All the same, though, Mai wished he would have listened to her and taken pity on Ty Lee. The memory of the girl's battered face and torn flesh made even the stoic Mai shiver. _If nothing else, at least I've been spared that._ She suddenly became aware that she was rocking her body back and forth aimlessly. Mai stopped abruptly. She'd noticed a few of these physical tics lately, and she didn't like them. They smelled suspiciously of neurosis.

Then her head flew up. She heard footsteps, and a voice – a familiar one. Her eyes widened as they fixed on the door of her cell. A moment later, she saw him. The broad shoulders, covered by coal-black armor; the long robes covering the muscular chest; the high forehead, with the dark hair above it crowned in gold flames; and the intense amber eyes beneath them. Mai felt herself shudder as bitter hurt and fear welled up in her throat. The cell door opened, admitting her visitor, and then closed behind him. The guard outside discreetly retreated. The prisoner gritted her teeth. "Zuko."

"Mai." His voice was softer than when she had last heard it. There was a long pause. "I've been talking to my uncle," he said abruptly. "He said a lot of things. And I think maybe I've been too hard on you."

She raised a brow. There was a dangerous glint in her narrow eyes. "Oh?"

"Yes." He stopped. Neither of them moved. "I should have listened to you about...about Ty Lee. I maybe shouldn't have had her beaten so badly. And for sure I should have listened to you once she was gone, and not...well, not just flown off the handle and thrown you to the wolves. I thought that you might have decided...while Azula had you, I mean..." His voice trailed off. Mai's expression didn't waver. She was finding it difficult to restrain her own anger. "And I should never have hit you. That wasn't right. I let my temper just explode, and...well, maybe you were right, a little. I was kind of acting like my father." Zuko stopped again. There was silence; Mai saw his throat move as he swallowed. "Mai, I'm sorry."

"Well. That certainly makes it all better." One of the skills Mai had cultivated from childhood was the control of her voice, and she could make it sting like the lash of a whip. She saw him flinch at her words. The corner of her mouth curved upward, almost imperceptibly.

"Okay," Zuko muttered. "I guess I deserved that."

"Yes. You do." Her tone was still glacial.

"Mai." He took a half-step forward, then seemed to think better of it, and raised his hands in appeal. "I really am sorry. Can't you find it in you to forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Mai's voice grew sharper. "Forgive you? Zuko, this isn't just you leaving me with only a stupid letter. This isn't some adolescent spat. It's not that simple! You nearly killed my friend. You threw me in prison. And even if they never hit me, your men tortured me, on your orders! As if that wasn't enough, then you punched me in the nose and told me you were going to have me executed. Did you really think that, after all that, I'd just flutter off my dungeon cot and forget all of it, just because you asked me to?"

The young Fire Lord chewed his lip. "Okay," he said, after a while. "I know it won't be easy. And I was wrong about a lot of it. Putting you in jail, for one – and taking the advice of my council about the torture. And just refusing to listen to you. And hitting you." He raised his eyes to hers. "And forgetting that I love you."

"Damn right." Her eyes narrowed to slits. They still flashed fire.

He sighed. Then, thrusting his hand into his pocket, he moved forward. "Here, hold still. I've got the key to your handcuffs." Mai didn't want to let him touch her, but the prospect of having her hands freed trumped her pride for the moment. She stood in stony silence as he worked on the chains. Eventually the cuffs around her wrists opened. Rubbing her arms, Mai quickly moved away from him, her gaze still wary and full of anger. He sighed again as he returned the key to his pocket. "Hit me."

"What?" Mai blinked, caught off guard.

"Hit me," he repeated, more firmly this time. "I deserve it, right? Punching you was completely uncalled for. So now let's even the score a little. Hit me." She frowned, and Zuko stepped a bit closer. "Look, I know it won't settle anything, but it's a start, right? And it would probably make you feel a lot better, Mai. So go ahead. Punch me."

The utter ridiculousness of the situation struck her suddenly – that the Fire Lord should be in a cell, demanding to be punched by a prisoner. She didn't forgive him, but some of the edge came off her fury. Mai shook her head. "I'm a lady," she said primly. "And it would hardly be ladylike for me to punch you in the nose, would it? I'm not going to dirty my hands just because you were ungentlemanly, Zuko. That would just add insult to injury."

"Then what do you want?" Zuko pleaded. "I'll do anything you like, Mai. Please. Tell me what I can do to prove to you that I mean it."

She cocked her head. "Are you letting me out of here?"

"Of course." Zuko looked taken aback.

"Good. I won't waste my wish on that, then." Mai straightened her back and raised her chin proudly. "I'll tell you what, Zuko. Right now I'm sore, I'm filthy, and I'm dying for a decent meal. So why don't you take me upstairs and let me wash and eat, and sleep for a while in a real bed. Once that's done, I'll start thinking about what you can do for me that might make me consider forgiving you someday. Do we have a deal?"

"It's a deal," Zuko agreed, looking just a bit relieved.

Mai's eyes flashed suddenly. "And until then, you'd better not even think about touching me."

The Fire Lord winced visibly. "No. No, of course not." He pulled the keys from his pocket and held them out to her. "The smallest one should unlock your shackles," he said. "The big one opens the door." Mai snatched them from his hand and bent to remove the chains from her legs. The moment she was free, she pushed past Zuko and fumbled with the lock of her cell. The door swung open. Without bothering to retrieve the keys, she strode toward the staircase that led out of the prison. She could hear Zuko's footsteps behind her. She didn't look back. With her head held high, Mai headed back into the world of freedom.


	60. Chapter 60

When Ty Lee had gone to sleep, Azula had been awake. When she woke up in the morning, she found the amber eyes still open and gazing down at her. The little acrobat yawned hugely and stretched her arm over the other girl's midriff. "Didn't you sleep?" she murmured. "Or did you just lie there staring at me all night?"

"As much fun as that would be, no. I slept." Azula smiled and kissed Ty Lee on the nose. The gymnast's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you rest well?"

"Did I...um, yes." Ty Lee's forehead wrinkled as she searched her lover's face. The girl seemed relaxed and...happy? And she was actually just lying there smiling at her. She scooted up Azula's body until their faces were on a level. Puzzled, she pressed her palm against Azula's cheek, peering into her eyes. They were a clean, unclouded gold. "What's up?" she asked. "You look like someone just handed you the crown of the Fire Nation, or something."

"Nothing like that." The former princess smirked and slipped her arms around Ty Lee, hugging her close. "I had really good dreams last night," she murmured as the acrobat's head nestled beside hers. "I saw my mother."

The former firebender's voice was almost sweet, gentler than Ty Lee had ever heard it. She rested her arm against Azula's chest and deliberately touched her forehead against the soft skin of the girl's neck. "It must've been some dream to make you this happy," she said. "Are you sure it was just a dream, 'Zula? Was it some weird Spirit World thing?"

"Maybe. It was really vivid." The black-haired girl bent her head to brush her lips lightly against Ty Lee's. "I just cried at first. And then we talked. It was...good." She sighed, and her breath wafted gently over the acrobat's throat. "She said she loved me. And I think I might have believed her this time."

Ty Lee smiled. She knew how much this must have meant to Azula. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered, returning the kiss. "I know you were really sad about your mother, even though you never talked about her much." She paused, thinking of one of the nights on Ember Island. "You know...you cried for her once, when you were having a fit."

"Did I?" Azula looked at her, raising a brow. "What did I say?"

"You said something about her going away, and it being your fault. You were really upset that night." Ty Lee softly kissed the corner of Azula's jaw, as if to soothe away the painful memory. "You just sobbed. You sounded like a little girl."

"Oh." The former firebender's voice was flat. There was a heavy silence. "I suppose I must have missed her."

Peering at Azula again, Ty Lee saw that a shadow had fallen over her face. Contritely, she cuddled her head into the side of the other girl's neck. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she said meekly. "I didn't mean to make you sad. I promise I won't talk about it anymore, if you don't want to."

Azula's slim hand cupped the back of her head. "It's not your fault. There's nothing for you to be sorry about." The fingers clawed affectionately at her scalp for a moment or two. Ty Lee smiled and closed her eyes blissfully. After a while, she felt Azula's chest rise and fall with a sigh. "We'd better get out of bed, Ty. They'll be bringing us breakfast soon."

"Aw." Ty Lee pouted. "Can't we hug a little more?"

The former princess chuckled. "Ty Lee, if the Mechanist were to invent a machine that followed you around hugging you all day, you'd still never be satisfied." She pushed the little acrobat away gently and slipped out of bed.

"Course not," Ty Lee grumbled, reluctantly sitting up. "Who wants to hug a machine?" Azula laughed again, and the gymnast couldn't help but smile at the sound. She hadn't seen Azula this genuinely happy for a very, very long time.

The two girls bathed and dressed. Ty Lee was just finishing pulling Azula's dark hair up into a topknot when their door opened, admitting a servant. He laid their breakfast tray on a side table and bowed politely to them. "Master Jeong Jeong wished me to inform you that there will be a number of meetings regarding your case today," he said. "Your presence will only be required for the first one. He will send for you in an hour."

Ty Lee's fingers paused in the act of tying a knot in a green hair ribbon. "Very well," Azula said. "We'll be ready." The servant bowed again and took his leave. The little acrobat could feel her hands trembling. Biting her lip, she finished tying the ribbon in Azula's hair, then let her hands fall at her sides. "I want you to do the talking again, Ty Lee," the former princess said quietly.

"Oh, Azula, no!" Ty Lee blurted. She quickly moved around the chair and knelt in front of the other girl, looking up at her in appeal. "Please, don't make me do that again, 'Zula! Please. I'm just no good at it. I don't know how. I'll get us both hanged! Please..."

Azula leaned forward and took Ty Lee's head between her hands, catching her large gray eyes with her own. "Ty." The protest died on the gymnast's lips. "I have very good reasons for doing this. All right? I'm not just doing it to torment you." She brushed Ty Lee's bangs back from her forehead and smiled gravely. "Be a good girl, and trust me. Will you do that for me?" Lip quivering, Ty Lee lowered her head. She did trust Azula – she did. Slowly, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the black-haired girl's slim waist. Then she closed her eyes and nodded, bravely swallowing the sob that was struggling in her throat. "Good girl." Azula stroked her back gently. "You'll understand later. I'll explain it to you when the time is right. Okay?" Ty Lee nodded again. She felt a little comforted.

The hour passed all too quickly. There came a heavy knock at the door. When it opened, Ty Lee saw the four guards in the hall – this was an armed escort, and no mere servant. She got up and followed at Azula's heels wretchedly. It felt as if the walls were closing in on her. The sensation grew even stronger when they were escorted back into the room they had met in the day before, and she was once again under the accusing eye of the tribunal. Ty Lee dropped to the floor and bowed low, avoiding the Fire Lord's gaze.

There was a new man there – an elderly, dark-haired gentleman with a well-trimmed beard and a grim countenance. The little acrobat peered at him curiously out of the corner of her eye. He was obviously Fire Nation, and she thought he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. She looked at the others, and noticed that Katara, Toph and Master Pakku weren't there. _I wonder why? _Her thoughts were broken as General Iroh cleared his throat. "Azula – Ty Lee." As she had been addressed, the little acrobat sat up on her heels, her eyes lowered. "Will you follow the same speaking arrangement as last time, Azula?" he asked, looking at his niece.

"I will," she affirmed calmly. "Ty Lee will speak for me again." The gymnast glanced up at the girl. Azula looked serenely confident. Miserably, Ty Lee looked down again, wishing that she could share in some of that assurance.

"Very well." General Iroh indicated the stranger who sat to his right. "This is Master Piandao. You may remember him, Azula. He served many distinguished years in the Fire Nation military, although he retired before you became a general in it." The former princess bowed her head in assent. "He was kind enough to come here from the Fire Nation to lend us his counsel. You may have noticed that only Fire Nationals are present this morning, with the exception of the Avatar. There is good reason for this." He paused significantly. "You both heard the charges against you yesterday. Today, we will be discussing exactly what penalties would normally be exacted on each charge under Fire Nation law, should you be found guilty and sentenced. You will have opportunity to present any mitigating circumstances there may be for each charge. Again, this is not a formal trial, and no final decisions will be made. This meeting is for the purpose of gathering information." Azula bowed her head again. Ty Lee felt as if she might throw up. Iroh turned and bowed his head in the direction of the master of the house. "Jeong Jeong, if you will." He retired to his chair.

Jeong Jeong picked up a scroll from the floor beside his chair. Ty Lee couldn't tell whether it was the same one from the day before. He was silent for a moment, his dark golden eyes skimming over what was written on it. Then he looked up at the waiting acrobat. "Are you ready, Ty Lee?" She nodded humbly, although she didn't think she could ever really be ready for something like this. "Good. Then we will begin." The white-haired man turned his attention to the silent Zuko. "Fire Lord Zuko, I will address questions of current law first to you, since you are the most likely to know the answers. On the first charge – that of the failed assassination attempt – what would the usual penalty be?"

The Fire Lord looked at his sister. Gone was the barely-contained anger of the day before, but his face was now as hard as stone. Ty Lee shivered, wondering which she preferred. "Depending on the circumstances," he said, "the penalty would be either permanent banishment from the Fire Nation, or death by hanging."

General Iroh coughed a little. "There is probably more precedent for banishment than for execution in such cases," he remarked. "I would point out the case of Lady Ursa, who was banished after successfully assassinating Fire Lord Azulon." Piandao nodded gravely at this.

"That's true, Uncle." Zuko glanced at him with a nod. "But I believe my father and mother were in collusion to destroy my grandfather, and that her banishment was part of that deal, and not a formal sentence under the law. And her case was different, too, in that she had never been convicted of any prior criminal offenses. I put forward that my sister was already incarcerated for treason when she committed her crime, and that this attempt on my life was not the first, but the third such attempt she had made. For these reasons, I think the law is clear that she should be put to death."

Jeong Jeong looked at Ty Lee, who was biting her lip furiously. "Do you have anything to add to this?" he asked. His tone was almost kind.

The little acrobat wanted to cry. "Well....maybe." She thought as hard as she could. "I...I don't think the Agni Kai should count as Azula trying to kill you, Zuk – um, Fire Lord Zuko. I mean, that was a battle, right? You were trying to kill her, too." She stopped, glancing nervously at General Iroh.

"That's true," Iroh said gravely. His eyes twinkled just a little as he looked at her – then he looked back at his nephew. "A challenge to honorable combat is not a criminal offense, even if the challenge is issued to the Fire Lord himself. And I think you were still only Crown Prince at that time, were you not, Zuko? That shouldn't be included in the list of attempts on your life."

Zuko scowled and shifted in his seat. "Oh, all right. But there's still the time when she attacked me at the Western Air Temple," he said. "That one should count."

Ty Lee brightened. This one, at least, she knew how to refute. "But Azula was under orders then," she blurted. "Wasn't she? Fire Lord Ozai said you were a traitor, and he sent Azula after you. She was only doing what he said. It should be in the records, or something."

The Fire Lord shot Ty Lee a withering glare, and the little acrobat flinched, again remembering her time in the torture chamber. Shivering, she dropped her eyes to the floor. She heard rather than saw General Iroh's reaction. "That is true, as well. It may be that Azula enjoyed carrying out the orders she was given – she likely did. But you can't hold her responsible for obeying the Fire Lord."

"There is great precedent for that," Master Piandao said gravely. He had a firm, quiet voice; Ty Lee rather liked it. "Fire Lord Ozai did not prosecute any of his father's men for their actions under Fire Lord Azulon's orders. There is further precedent if we look back to Fire Lord Azel, father of Fire Lord Sozin, who also did not sentence his father's generals for their prior attempts on his life, which were made under orders." Ty Lee felt Azula's hand rest briefly on her shoulder, squeezing gently before it released. The little acrobat felt a warm glow at this.

"Fine." Zuko was speaking through his teeth, now. "But the fact remains that Azula was already a convicted felon at the time that she made this assassination attempt. And that fact alone qualifies her for the noose, even without everything else."

No one attempted to refute this. The bit of hope in Ty Lee's heart flickered and went out. Jeong Jeong looked at her. "Do you have anything more to add?" She shook her head miserably. "Very well." He scribbled something on the scroll. "Now, to the kidnapping of Fire Lady Mai, the daughter of Governor Tsang. Fire Lord Zuko, what would the sentence for this crime normally be?"

"The penalty for a regular kidnapping charge is usually ten years in prison," Zuko said. His voice was cool and clinical. "And the penalty for laying a hand on any member of the royal family is the same as that for an assassination attempt. I am willing to yield a bit on this, and give both my sister and her accomplice the lesser sentence of ten years in jail."

Master Piandao nodded slowly. "That would be kinder than what the law dictates."

No one else spoke. Jeong Jeong turned his eyes to the miserable little acrobat, who was just trying to fathom exactly how long ten years was. "Do you have anything to say to this, Ty Lee?"

"N-no, sir." The gymnast's jaw quivered as she looked up at Zuko. She guessed the prison time was better than the hanging he could have insisted upon. "Thank you, my lord." His expression didn't change as he acknowledged her. Ty Lee dropped her gaze to the floor again, furtively wiping away the tears that had filled her eyes.

"Now, to the theft of the war balloon, and the kidnapping of young Private Toza that went with it." Jeong Jeong unrolled the scroll a bit. "What do you say to that, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"The theft of Fire Nation military property carries a minimum sentence of two years in prison, and I have already mentioned the penalty for kidnapping," Zuko said calmly. "Normally, the two offenses together would probably carry a penalty of twelve years. However, I will again be lenient, and put the tally at eight years each."

It went on from there in much the same way. Poor Ty Lee grew more and more bewildered as the years added up, and the finer points of law and history and precedent were discussed. It all made her head spin. By the time they reached the most serious charge – that of the murder of the twelve soldiers – she herself faced more than fifty potential years in prison, while Azula faced at least sixty, with the additional possibility of hanging. Jeong Jeong looked at Zuko grimly. "And now, my lord, the killings of the nine Fire Nation soldiers, and their three Earth Kingdom compatriots."

Now the Fire Lord's gaze caught and held Ty Lee's. The little acrobat saw his eyes narrow, and the corners of his lips twitch upward. "The penalty, under Fire Nation law, for a civilian convicted of killing a soldier, is either a minimum of ten years of incarceration, or death by hanging, depending on the circumstances," he said. "I have asked a number of Earth Kingdom nationals, and it seems that their laws dictate a minimum sentence of seven years of hard labor. I put forth that my sister fully deserves to serve every single one of those years. However, I have given the matter some thought, and I will have mercy on them both in the cases of the Fire Nationals. For my sister, I would add another thirty years in prison, rather than the ninety that the law would demand. And for Ty Lee, who was an accomplice to the killings, rather than performing them herself, I would add another twenty, rather than forty-five. As for the Earth Kingdom soldiers," and here Zuko lifted his hands, "I'm afraid I would have to let those sentences stand, in respect to our Earth Kingdom brothers. That would be twenty-one years of hard labor for both of them."

Ty Lee was sobbing silently now. She couldn't help it. The prospect of the endless years in jail, and maybe decades of slavery away from home, was crushing. When Jeong Jeong addressed her, she couldn't even speak. She just shook her head miserably, burying her face in her hands. Tears trickled between her fingers. Then she felt Azula's arm slip around her, and heard the girl's velvet-smooth voice. "I'll take this question. I think Ty Lee's exhausted." The little acrobat saw, through tear-blurred eyes, that the former princess was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her. With a choked sob, she turned and leaned against her, burrowing her head into Azula's shoulder.

Azula's arm supported her gently. "Those soldiers were sent to kill us on sight," Ty Lee heard her say. "We couldn't run from them because my ankles are crippled. We had nothing to restrain them with. It was either their lives or ours."

There was a lot of talk after that, most of which Ty Lee really didn't understand. She stayed where she was, resting against Azula's body, with her eyes tightly shut. The tribunal came to their final numbers after about a half-hour of discussion: for Azula, twenty years in jail; for Ty Lee, fifteen; and for both of them, twenty-one years of hard labor in the custody of the Earth Kingdom, to be served prior to any other prison sentences. The little acrobat shuddered helplessly. _Twenty-one years. I'll be nearly forty years old by then...and I'll still have more than sixty years left to serve in prison. I'll never be free again._

"I believe our defendants are tired and hungry by now," came Iroh's voice. "I move that we adjourn for lunch, Master Jeong Jeong, and send Azula and Ty Lee back to their quarters to rest."

"Agreed." Jeong Jeong rose to his feet and inclined his head at the two girls. "You may go. My servants will bring your meal to your rooms shortly."

"Come on, Ty." Azula's voice was quiet in her ear. "Let's go." She felt the girl's arm firmly pulling her to her feet. She allowed it listlessly. Ty Lee didn't even really see their trip back to their quarters, and she didn't want to eat any of their lunch. Azula more or less forced a bit of soup into her, before finally giving up and putting her to bed. The last thing Ty Lee felt as she drifted into a troubled sleep was Azula's hand gently caressing her back.


	61. Chapter 61

Very carefully, Azula lifted her hand from Ty Lee's body, and waited. The little acrobat didn't stir. She had her cheek pressed up against the pillow, and there was a tiny frown still lingering on her sleeping face, but she was asleep all the same. The former firebender bent down to place a gentle kiss on Ty Lee's damp brow. She felt badly for the girl – she really did. The morning's meeting had been very hard on Ty Lee. It was obvious that the full impact of their situation hadn't really struck the acrobat until now. Azula smiled down at her in affectionate disgust. _Ty Lee. It's so like you to act first and think afterwards. _- But right now, Azula needed to think, as well. Calmly, the former princess moved across the room and sat down in the armchair.

Her brother's tactics had drawn her attention at once. Zuko had hit the first charge hard, driving his points home until he'd succeeded in getting the others to concede the death penalty. Once he'd done that, he'd showcased his 'leniency' on every other charge. Azula knew for a fact that he wanted her dead, and Ty Lee out of the way. If the rest of this process went the way this meeting had, Zuko would get everything that he wanted, and still look merciful and benevolent. It had been brilliant, she had to admit. Yes, brilliant...far too clever for him to have thought of it himself.

It was almost as if he had been _coached. _But who would have so coached him? Azula frowned absently, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. _He didn't seek the death penalty for Ty Lee on any of the charges, and he quite easily could have, _she mused. _But he still pushed hard to put the noose around my neck. That sounds very much like Mai's influence. But didn't he have her thrown in prison? _Azula pursed her lips. _It would have to have been her. Uncle Iroh wouldn't have steered him that way. So Zuko must have reconsidered lumping his dear little wife in with the two of us. That could work in our favor._

..._And, speaking of my dear uncle..._ Azula rose from her seat. Striding to the door, she rapped on it sharply with her knuckles. It was opened a few moments later by a cautious-looking guard. "I would like to send a message to General Iroh," Azula said. "Would you tell him that I've asked to speak with him privately? - At his earliest convenience, of course." The young man assented, and closed the door again. Azula heard a bolt shooting home. Her lips curved into a rueful smile as she resumed her seat. _A gilded cage, perhaps, but still a cage._

She rested her forehead on her clasped hands, closing her eyes. Above all else, she had to think of some way to get out of the capital charge – to take her head off the proverbial chopping block. Was there any way to discredit the remaining two incidents where she had tried to kill her brother? She chewed her lip. The Boiling Rock was iffy. She could probably make a case for Zuko's having been an obvious traitor even then, and so explain away her attempts to take him out. But in retrospect, the incident in the Earth Kingdom had clearly been a mistake on her part. She had very blatantly tried to kill Zuko then, without the covering of any order to do so, and without any legal wrongdoing on his part. Azula's teeth clenched. _Damn. _Then there was the fact, too, that her latest attempt had been made while she was already a convicted felon, as her brother hadn't hesitated to point out.

On what basis, though, had she been a felon?

Azula's brow wrinkled. This was where things got murky for her. She had only fractured recall of the time in and around the Agni Kai, and none at all for a number of months afterward. By the time she'd begun to recover some of her shattered senses, she had already been shackled like an animal in her cage, a convicted criminal. They'd never told her what she had been convicted of, exactly, and it hadn't occurred to her, in her addled mental state, to ask. Had there been a trial during those blank months? She didn't know. _I'll have to ask Ty Lee. And if she doesn't know, I'll ask Uncle Iroh, _she told herself. _This is information that I'll need._

Her thoughts went on, turning over every word that she could recall from the latest meeting. She was just about to give it all up in frustration when a soft sound drew her back to reality. Blinking, Azula raised her head and looked over at the bed. Ty Lee still lay there with her back to her, with one arm flung up over her head. As Azula watched, the girl's body curled up and began to shake with sobs.

The plotting was forgotten as the former princess crossed the room. She sat down on the side of the bed and leaned over until she could see Ty Lee's flushed, tearstained face. "Ty, are you all right?" With a convulsive sob, the little acrobat turned over, holding up her arms like a child. Azula quickly lay down and moved into the embrace, pressing the brown head into her own shoulder. Ty Lee cried bitterly for some time as she clung to Azula with both arms. When the force of her sobs had diminished somewhat, Azula kissed her cheek. "It's okay, Ty."

"No, it's not!" the girl burst out. "I'm not that stupid, 'Zula. You heard what they said. Zuko's going to hang you. And then I'm going to have to serve twenty years of slave labor here, and...and then spend the rest of my life in jail. And I'll have to do it all by myself!" She cried harder, her fists clenching tightly on handfuls of Azula's shirt. "I don't want to lose you, 'Zula. I don't want to be a slave. I'm scared."

Azula held her quietly until the second storm of weeping had passed. "Listen to me," she said quietly. "No one was sentenced to anything today. It was just a meeting – it wasn't a trial, Ty Lee."

"That doesn't matter, and you know it." The little acrobat thumped halfheartedly at her with her fist. The blow didn't hurt. "These meetings are just dry runs for the real thing. I'm not so dumb I can't see that. Zuko's going to hang you, and I'm going to die in prison. Oh, gods..." And Ty Lee clung to Azula so hard that she could barely breathe. "I don't want to live without you."

"Okay." The former firebender winced and squirmed until she could inhale properly again. Then she threaded her fingers into the gymnast's short hair. "Ty, listen. No, _listen._" Ty Lee choked a little. "I won't let that happen to you. Do you hear me? I won't let it happen." She pulled the girl's head up until she could see her face. Ty Lee's streaming eyes met hers, and Azula lowered her brows just a touch. "I will not let you rot in jail. I won't let that happen. Understand?"

"H-how will you stop them?" the little acrobat whimpered.

"Leave all that up to me." Azula wiped the tears from Ty Lee's cheeks with her fingers. "I know I keep saying this, but it's still true. Trust me, Ty. Just trust me."

Ty Lee nodded, her lip still quivering. "I do trust you." She burrowed her face into Azula's shoulder and nestled there, her body shivering. "I do trust you, 'Zula," she whispered again. "I'm yours. I'd do anything for you."

"I know, Ty," Azula murmured, closing her eyes. "You already have."

There was a long pause. Then slowly, shakily, Ty Lee's hands began to slide down Azula's sides. The former princess lay quietly as they slipped underneath fabric to caress bare skin. They paused then, the fingers lightly moving, as if asking permission. Without opening her eyes, Azula drew Ty Lee's head up and kissed her mouth. With a soft sigh, the little acrobat continued her explorations.

Their first time had been sweet and tender, and this was no different. Azula couldn't believe that a mouth and fingers as gentle as Ty Lee's could still make her writhe and gasp and plead helplessly. She reflected – in the moments when those soft touches weren't driving her half mad – that she never would have expected to be doing this. Only two years ago, she had considered Ty Lee a faithful servant and useful tool, and little more. If anyone had dared to suggest that she would one day actually share her bed with the little acrobat, she probably would have thrown fireballs first, and asked questions later. But now, Azula wondered if she shouldn't consider herself fortunate. She almost wanted to thank the gods for the benevolence that had given her this one friend – this one lover. Then one of Ty Lee's hands slid smoothly over her hip, and all of Azula's coherent thoughts fled. She knew nothing other than _moremoremoremore_ for a long time after that.

When she finally came to her senses again, she was lying on her back. Ty Lee was lying half on top of her. The gymnast's soft lips were very gently nipping at her left ear and the side of her neck; one nimble hand was stroking lightly up and down Azula's right side. The former firebender looked down at her lover, her amber eyes still half-lidded with pleasure. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Ty Lee whispered with a smile, slipping over to cover Azula's cheeks with light kisses.

"Make me forget everything like that." The black-haired girl, not to be outdone, slid her own hands slowly up Ty Lee's naked back, coming to rest at her muscular shoulders. "I think you even make me forget my own name."

"That's okay," Ty Lee said impishly, nipping at Azula's earlobe again. "I'll remember it for you."

Azula gave a little burst of laughter that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "How charitable of you." Then, glancing at the door, she sighed regretfully. "Ty, I need to get up. I asked my uncle if I could talk to him privately, and it wouldn't do for him to walk in on us like this."

"You sure about that?" The little acrobat smiled wickedly, nuzzling Azula's collarbone and flicking her tongue against the alabaster skin. "Maybe he'd like it."

"Ty Lee." The stern reproach in Azula's voice was unmistakable. The gymnast released her meekly. There was some genuine sadness in the huge gray eyes. Azula pulled on her trousers, then paused in the act of buttoning her shirt. She sighed. "It's nothing _personal, _Ty."

"I know that." Ty Lee rested her head on her hands and watched her mournfully. "I just can't help wondering if...well, if this might be the last time..."

The former princess reached down to pat her. "It's not," she said firmly. "Don't forget what I told you before. You just have to trust me." Ty Lee sighed and nodded. As the little acrobat got up and began to dress, Azula seated herself in the armchair to await her Uncle Iroh's arrival.


	62. Chapter 62

It wasn't until a couple of hours after supper that the expected knock finally came. Azula turned toward the door as it opened. Beside her, Ty Lee – who had just been in the middle of some story about one of her sisters – also twisted around to look. The broad, imposing form of General Iroh stepped into the room. His face was calm and neutral, but there was a certain wariness in his gaze as he turned it to his niece. "You wanted to speak with me, Azula?"

"Yes, Uncle." The former princess took a step forward. Then, after hesitating a moment, she bowed slightly from the waist, touching her palms together. It was a gesture that Azula almost never made. But perhaps, under the circumstances, it was best to set the stage properly. "I'm honored that you've come. But I wondered if we could speak privately?" She laid a slight emphasis on the last word.

Iroh's eyes immediately flicked over to the worried-looking Ty Lee. "I see." He considered for a moment. "Very well. Come with me to my quarters, Azula. We can drink tea while we talk."

"Thank you, Uncle Iroh." Azula turned to look at the little acrobat. Ty Lee bit her lip; the former princess flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'll be back soon," she said. With that, she followed her uncle from the room.

It turned out that General Iroh's rooms weren't too far from theirs – only down the hall and around the corner. Azula glanced around as she entered. They were decent quarters, perhaps a little better than the ones she was sharing with Ty Lee. Iroh waved her into a chair. "Sit down, Azula. It takes an old man a while to prepare tea properly." She quietly sat down. Touching her fingertips together, she watched in silence as he puttered around, gathering together the tea things. After a time, the old man pulled a low table up before her and set the tea tray on it. His hands cupped the pot; a moment later, the water began to bubble, and steam curled up off its surface. He deftly tossed in a few teaspoons of tea leaves.

This simple display of firebending sent a pang through Azula's heart. She winced and looked away, frowning slightly. Once she, too, had done such things. But that had been before her ignominious defeat, and the Avatar's theft of her bending skill. _Yes, theft! _Her jaw clenched. _He might be defending me now, but it would take a good deal more than that to settle that little debt. Although it was probably my loving brother's idea in the first place._

When she looked up, Iroh was calmly pouring out the tea. He cupped his drink tenderly in his hands and sat back in his chair, sipping contentedly. Azula took hers and tasted it. While she didn't share her uncle's inexplicable passion for tea, she had to admit that it was good. "So, Azula," he said. "What can I do for you this evening?"

Azula took a deep breath. She honestly wasn't quite certain of how to approach this without making herself sound like the lunatic her uncle likely already thought she was. "Yes, Uncle Iroh. I was talking to...someone...about everything that's been going on," she said slowly. "She advised me to talk to you." The old man nodded calmly, taking another sip of tea. With another deep breath, Azula plunged into her narrative. Her mother had advised her to tell her uncle everything, and she carried this out to its fullest. She told Iroh the full story, from start to finish, and left nothing out.

In a way, it was a strange feeling to simply tell the truth. Azula was so used to carefully spinning her words – to mixing the truth carefully into her skillful lies, always calculating, always maintaining full control. Her bout of insanity had cost her a lot of that, of course, but she had still tried her best to maintain the art. But now, she didn't bend or twist anything. It was almost refreshing not to have to think so hard about what she was saying.

It took a long time for Azula to talk her way from the moment her father had first sent her after Zuko, all the way to the moment she had come fully to herself at the cave and looked into the Avatar's mild gray eyes. She refreshed herself with periodic sips of tea. General Iroh silently kept both their cups filled. He seemed to give little reaction to her story. At last, Azula fell silent. She waited.

Gravely, Iroh set down his cup on the table and sat back in his chair. His movements were slow and deliberate. Then his eyes met hers. "What do you expect from me, Azula?"

She shifted in her seat. "I don't really know," she muttered, hating the fact that she had to admit this. "Mo...my advisor just told me to tell you everything, and take any advice you gave me. She said that I could trust you."

"Really." His bushy eyebrows lowered just a bit, and he regarded her thoughtfully. "And who exactly is your advisor? I wouldn't expect Ty Lee to tell you something like that."

Azula rubbed the back of her neck tiredly and met his gaze. "Mother."

There was a long pause. Azula looked down and waited, wondering how he was going to react. Would he humor her, while obviously thinking her crazy? Would he suspect that she was trying to tell him some elaborate new lie? Either reaction wouldn't be unreasonable, she had to admit. After a while, she looked up at him again. Iroh's expression was still thoughtful. "I see." He nodded slowly. "You've been venturing deeper into the Spirit World."

With some relief, Azula saw that he wasn't humoring her. She nodded. "Just once. But I didn't go on purpose. I think Mother might have called me there."

"That's not impossible. You still have very little control over your gift, although your sanity doesn't seem to be leaking out of your ears anymore. It wouldn't take much to pull you from one world into the other." General Iroh folded his hands over his broad belly. "I don't know how much advice I can give you at this point, Azula. You are in quite a difficult place, and it's mostly of your own making."

"Not to mention," the girl remarked coolly, "that you're on my brother's side."

"Not necessarily. Not in all things. But I do know that one must be very careful in any dealings with you, Azula. You've proved that many times." The old man rubbed his beard. Azula was silent. She couldn't, in all honesty, refute this. "So perhaps we should call this a night, and you can go and get some rest before tomorrow's meetings. And I will consider what you have said."

This was fair enough, Azula supposed. She set it aside for the time being. "I have a question for you, if you will, Uncle Iroh," she said. The courtesies flowed fairly easily off her tongue, considering how seldom she used them. "My brother mentioned the fact that I was a convicted felon when I hired the assassin to kill him. That brought something to my mind. What exactly was I convicted of, and when? I don't remember standing trial for anything. But my memory of that time is more or less a blank."

There was a pregnant pause. The old general folded his hands and pressed them against his lips, thinking deeply. "My nephew would no doubt rather that this be kept from you," he said at length, "but I believe that you have a right to know." He lowered his hands back onto his belly. "You did not stand trial. As far as I know, you were immediately incarcerated in the prison tower. Zuko convened a hearing, in the presence of the Fire Sages and his newly-appointed council, and laid out a list of the names of your father's most staunch supporters – those who would be the least likely to swear fealty to my nephew. As the Fire Lord, he passed a blanket conviction of treason over every one of those people. And your name, Azula, was on the top of that list."

"I see." The former princess could feel her cheeks flushing. "And you approved of this, Uncle?"

Iroh paused. "The truth is that I did not," he said quietly. "I advised my nephew to at least give you a chance, and reminded him that kindness begets kindness. I also advised him to have you treated by doctors. He decided, however, that caution overruled wisdom in your case." He paused again. "And perhaps you proved him right by trying to have him killed."

"That would certainly be the easiest thing to believe, wouldn't it?" Azula said coldly. "Lock up the monster and throw away the key. And then anything the monster does afterward is just because she_ is_ a monster, isn't it?" The old man looked at her keenly, but said nothing. Azula bit back the rest of the vitriol that she wanted to throw at him and scowled down at the floor. "But then, you probably believe that, don't you?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I will consider everything you have said." Iroh rose heavily to his feet. Azula did likewise. "If you have no more questions, I will take you back to your room now, Azula. I'm sure Ty Lee is waiting anxiously for you."

"I'm sure she is," Azula murmured. Then she bowed her head. "I have no more questions, Uncle Iroh. Thank you for your time."

Ty Lee jumped up when Azula stepped back into the room. "You're all right," she said, with obvious relief. "Did...did your talk with your uncle go okay?"

"It was instructive." Azula nodded quietly, accepting the hug that Ty Lee fairly threw at her. She winced a bit as the acrobat's arms crushed her ribs. "I found out one interesting thing, at least. Did you know that my brother never gave me a trial? He just had the Avatar rip away my firebending and threw me in prison."

"Really?" Ty Lee pulled back, her eyes widening. "No, I...I didn't know that, 'Zula. I was on Kyoshi Island for a bit. When I came back, you were in the prison tower already. I guess I just kinda thought you'd stood trial while I was gone, or something."

"Hm." The former princess nodded slowly. "If you don't mind, Ty Lee, I think I'm going to stay up late tonight. I have a lot of planning I need to do. I'll come to bed later."

The little acrobat pouted just a little, but nodded and sighed. She leaned up to put her arms around Azula's neck and kiss her lips lightly. "That's okay, I guess. We got our together time earlier." The former firebender couldn't restrain a smirk at this, and Ty Lee smiled widely. "G'night, baby," she said softly, kissing Azula's mouth again. "Don't stay up all night, 'kay?"

"Okay." Azula considered objecting to being called 'baby,' simply on principle, but she had the unsettling feeling that she had actually liked it. "Ty?" The acrobat paused in the act of pulling away, turning questioning eyes to her. "Don't ever call me that in public. Understand?"

A mischievous smile twitched Ty Lee's lips, but she nodded meekly enough. "Okay, 'Zula." With that dealt with, Azula pulled her armchair close to the hearth of their fire. Ty Lee climbed into bed; Azula settled herself into the chair. Silence fell in the room. The former princess clasped her hands together and rested her forehead on them. For the second time that day, she began to think.


	63. Chapter 63

Everyone was at this morning's meeting except the Fire Lord.

Ty Lee, bowing low as she usually did, examined the people through the hair that had fallen into her face. Aang and Katara were there; the Avatar looked very businesslike, while Katara simply watched the two defendants through thoughtfully-narrowed eyes. Toph had chosen to sit in a chair this time. Ty Lee thought there was a dangerous gleam in the earthbender's milky eyes. She moved her gaze slowly over Jeong Jeong, who was quietly discussing something with Master Pakku and General Iroh, to Master Piandao. The man's eyes were on Azula, but the little acrobat couldn't read his expression. Ty Lee sighed a bit. She wished that someone would call the meeting to order.

Then she heard the door behind her open. Ty Lee shifted a little to look back; her gaze made out the imposing silhouette of Zuko. She stayed quiet as he passed, shivering. Then her eye caught on a slim figure walking behind him.

"_Mai!" _Joy and relief flooded Ty Lee's heart. She sprang up from the floor, bounded to where the rather startled-looking young queen stood, and flung her arms around her. "Oh, Mai, I'm so glad you're all right. I was so worried!"

She felt Mai's hands patting her back hesitantly. "Uh...yes." The assassin's voice was very quiet, almost a whisper. "I'm glad to see you, too, Ty Lee. But maybe this isn't the best time."

"Oh..._oh." _The gymnast suddenly remembered where she was. She released her grip and fell back a step, shooting a sidelong glance at the rest of the room. Azula was frowning a little, and Zuko was outright glaring at her. Toph, however, looked vaguely amused. "I'm sorry, Mai," Ty Lee whispered, hanging her head. "I...didn't think."

"You never do." The corners of Mai's mouth twitched upward, almost imperceptibly. She moved toward the empty chair beside her husband. As she passed the chastened little acrobat, her lips moved again. Ty Lee barely caught the words. "We'll talk later. I promise."

This made her feel at least a little better. The gymnast slowly went back to Azula's side. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she murmured penitently. The former princess shot her a look of mild disgust. Sadly, Ty Lee knelt down and bowed back to the floor, resolving not to move or speak out of turn again. She knew the rules of protocol – she knew them. But somehow she'd always forget them at the most inappropriate times! And it was especially difficult to remember them now that she had to follow the rules of conduct for a commoner, since she'd had her title stripped. Ty Lee sighed and rested her forehead against the thick carpet. She wished that these things didn't always have to be so complicated.

Jeong Jeong cleared his throat loudly, and the room fell silent. "Before we begin with the official agenda for this meeting, I believe that our brother, General Iroh, has some announcements to make," he said. "If you will, General?"

With great dignity, Iroh rose to his feet. "As some of you may know, the Order of the White Lotus has been considering whether or not to become officially involved in this case," he said gravely. "After much deliberation, we have come to the consensus that we will not." Ty Lee peered up at him in puzzlement. Was this a good thing for them, or not? One glance at the faint smirk of triumph on Zuko's face suggested that it likely wasn't. "We've decided that this is a case for the Fire Nation justice system to decide, and not one which merits our interference. However, any members of the Order already involved who wish to continue with their involvement in an unofficial capacity may do so." He paused again. "Master Pakku has decided that his input is not needed, and so will take his leave; Master Piandao and Jeong Jeong will remain." His dark eyes turned to Azula. "I, too, will stay." Peeking sideways, Ty Lee saw Azula's face relax just a bit. "That is all. The floor is yours, Jeong Jeong."

"Thank you, brother." The master of the house turned his attention to the defendants as Iroh moved back to his seat. "The purpose of today's meeting is a final gathering of information. As I'm sure you know, Azula, the Avatar and some of his allies have given you temporary sanctuary. The next phase of this process will be the official negotiations between the Avatar's people and the Fire Nation over the conditions of your transfer back into the custody of your countrymen. After this meeting, both sides should have enough information to clearly lay out their positions." The former princess bowed her head in assent. "Will your companion again be speaking for you?"

"She will." Azula nodded calmly. "I apprised her of that this morning." Ty Lee bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Very well. Ty Lee, are you prepared?" Jeong Jeong looked down at her. The acrobat rose up to sit on her heels and nodded nervously. "Then we will begin." He turned to his right. "Fire Lord Zuko, as the injured party, you have the floor first."

Zuko nodded. His wife touched his arm, and he paused as she whispered something in his ear. It was brief; he coughed lightly. "I believe we have already laid out our position well, and we don't need to examine the prisoners extensively to shore it up," he said. "However, there are a couple of points about which we would like more clarity." His amber eyes met Ty Lee's. "When you kidnapped my wife, you were the one who initially struck and disabled her. Right?"

The little acrobat lowered her head. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

"We've just received more complete information on what went on during the time that you and my sister held her hostage. Is it true that my sister held a knife to Fire Lady Mai's throat and threatened to kill her?" His eyes narrowed.

_Mai's been telling him things. _Ty Lee felt almost betrayed, although she supposed she should have expected this. After all, Mai wasn't exactly the most forgiving person in the world, and Azula hadn't endeared herself at all. "Yes, my lord. She did." The acrobat's voice was low.

"And is it also true that my sister struck and kicked the Fire Lady several times?"

Ty Lee couldn't help but wonder where this was going. She hesitated. _Am I walking right into a trap, here? _"Um...yes, my lord. Azula did hit her a few times. But she never hit her very hard..."

Zuko smiled grimly. "In light of this new information, then, we would like to add a charge to the case against my sister. She laid her hand on a member of the royal family in violence. I would like to remind all present that the penalty for this, under Fire Nation law, is either permanent banishment from the Fire Nation, or death by hanging. And we would push for the death penalty in this case, since there were several incidents of such violence, as you have all just heard my sister's accomplice admit."

"No!" Ty Lee was suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "Don't. Please, don't. Zuk..._Fire Lord_ Zuko, you know I'm not smart! Please don't make me say stupid things and then punish Azula for them. I don't know things. My lord, please-"

"I would say that if Azula thinks her mouthpiece is inadequate, she can certainly speak for herself." That was Mai, her voice cool and impersonal. "Are you unsatisfied with the arrangement, Azula?"

"No. Thank you for your concern, Fire Lady, but I'm quite satisfied." Azula's calm words made Ty Lee groan aloud and slump her shoulders. A hand rested on her back; the former firebender's lips moved close to her ear. "Don't let them rattle you, Ty Lee."

The little acrobat turned toward Azula, grasping her by the wrist. "Please, 'Zula, don't make me do this," she whispered. "I've only been talking five minutes, and you've already got another hanging charge to deal with! I'll get us both killed." Azula shook her head firmly, and Ty Lee tightened her grip. "Please. _Please, _Azula."

Patiently, the former princess freed her wrist. "I would have been facing that charge anyway," she murmured. "That was Mai's doing, not yours. And this isn't a trial yet, remember? It's just a meeting. We're laying the ground rules. There's a lot of posturing and positioning, but no one's making any real moves yet." Ty Lee whimpered softly, and Azula's hand squeezed her shoulder. "You promised you would trust me, Ty. I have good reasons for everything that I'm doing." The little acrobat bowed her head and nodded wretchedly. "Good girl." Azula released her and stood up straight, again assuming her military general's pose.

Jeong Jeong, who had been watching the two girls as they whispered, now turned to Aang. "Avatar Aang, I believe the floor is yours next. Do you have anything to put forward?"

"Yes, thank you." The young monk nodded and smiled gravely. "I don't think killing is ever the only option. I was taught that all life is sacred, and only the gods should have the power to take it away." He looked at Azula briefly, and then at Ty Lee. A brief smile flickered over his face. "I don't think anyone has to hang. Maybe we should all look at this as an opportunity to talk about things. I think there's been wrong done by both sides. We should discuss that, and try to compromise."

Zuko scowled. "The Avatar is entitled to his opinion," he said. "But I am in the right!"

"Oh, really?" The voice surprised Ty Lee, because it was a voice that hadn't spoken in these meetings before. She turned her eyes to find that Toph had risen to her feet. She gave an exaggerated bow in Aang's direction. "If you don't mind, Twinkletoes, I've got some things to say, here." Aang looked a little surprised, but he nodded agreeably. Toph faced the Fire Lord squarely with her hands on her hips. Her childlike face was scrunched up in anger. "Now you listen to me, Your Royal Righteousness. I might not be as deep as you Fire Nation muckety-mucks, or tiptoe around knowing important stuff like these Pansy Blossoms, or whatever they're called, but I still know a thing or two. You just lied through your teeth. Because if you actually thought you were all pure and angelic in all this, then you'd be about as smart as this chair leg."

Mai leaned forward. Her narrow eyes flashed a little, but her face was calm. "Could we maintain at least the appearance of decorum, Lady Bei Fong?"

"Oh, I'll likely get to you later, Queenie. Don't you worry." Toph flashed her a dangerous smile. "And speaking of decorum, wasn't there some rule of etiquette about not interrupting people?" Mai's lips tightened, and she said nothing more. "Now, you answer me this, Saint Zuko. Your vaunted Council of Elders wields a lot of power. Almost as much as your family would, actually. Tell me – do the names General Tazao, Admiral Hisato and Admiral Zai mean anything to you?" Ty Lee saw Katara suddenly sit up a bit straighter.

Zuko's mouth was a thin line, and there was fire smoldering in his golden eyes. "Yes," he said curtly. "They are members of my council. But I don't see-"

"Yeah, I thought so. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Admiral Hisato and Admiral Zai pretty much singlehandedly wiped out the Southern Water Tribe between the two of them, didn't they?" Toph's cold smile was back. "A _genocide. _Their fleets killed thousands of innocent people. They threw hundreds of waterbenders into concentration camps, prisons that no decent human being would even build, let alone lock anybody up in."

"I do not hold them responsible for carrying out my father's orders." Zuko was speaking through his teeth. There was a dark flush rising in his cheeks.

"Really? Well, isn't that sweet of you. Let's talk about General Tazao, then. I know something about that guy." The blind earthbender's brows lowered. "He was one of the main military leaders bent on wiping out the Earth Kingdom. We called him General Bloodbath. The man killed over a hundred people in one of our cities, once – by himself."

The Fire Lord's scowl made Ty Lee cringe. "Again," he said tightly, " I do not hold-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. That's not the point, anyway." Toph's smile had vanished. "Now let's talk about Princess Azula. At the end of the War, she about was the same age I am now. She'd been personally involved with the War itself for a grand total of six months. She and her two cronies had killed less than ten people, between all three of them, in battles they had orders to wage. There were no bloodbaths. She'd masterminded the taking of Ba Sing Se, which was _completely bloodless. _She'd tried to kill Aang, of course – but then, your daddy's entire army was trying to do that. And she'd tried to kill you a few times. We'll even ignore the fact that she was pretty much out of her mind during a couple of those times." Toph thrust her hands into her pockets and grinned. "Now you tell me, Fire Lord. Why does that handful of petty crimes net her a life sentence for treason, while actively murdering and torturing hundreds of people gets three men a seat on your council? Did she not have enough political goodies to bribe you with, or something?"

As Zuko angrily opened his mouth to retort, his face a deep scarlet, Mai laid a hand on his arm. "I think we're wandering rather far from the point," she said. Her voice was both cold and smooth. "We aren't here to discuss the histories of the men and women involved in Fire Nation politics, Lady Bei Fong. We're here to discuss whether a convicted felon deserves to be hanged after attempting a to kill the emperor of the Fire Nation, killing twelve men in cold blood, and assaulting and kidnapping a member of the royal family. And it's our position that she does."

Azula coughed delicately. Both Mai and Toph paused. "I may have something to contribute here, since it's come up," the former princess said. Her tone was light and sincere. "I'd let Ty Lee handle this, only she doesn't really know the whole story. I am a convicted felon, I suppose, but I've never stood trial. I was clapped in irons and thrown into a cramped little cage without one, and my brother simply declared me a traitor. Fortunately," and here she sighed softly, "I was mentally ill enough then that I didn't really know what was happening to me. I must admit that it was rather a shock to wake up to a few months later, though." Ty Lee thought she saw a faint gleam of enjoyment in Azula's eye.

"Cage?" Katara, who hadn't yet spoken, now frowned in Azula's direction. "What do you mean?"

The former princess bowed slightly from the waist. "Many pardons, but I think I should let Ty Lee handle that question. My own memories of that time may be faulty, after all."

Katara's blue eyes turned on Ty Lee. The little acrobat nodded. "It was a cage," she said softly. "It was long enough so she could lie down, but too short for her to stand up. Azula spent most of the year chained up in it, until I asked Fire Lady Mai to help. Then she got moved to a bigger one."

"You chained her in a _cage?" _Katara turned horrified eyes on Zuko. "Like the ones the Fire Nation put my people into during the War?"

"Well...no," Zuko muttered uncomfortably. "Nothing that small. Those were only three by three, and this one was six by three...."

"I don't believe this." The waterbender's eyes were beginning to flash. "Zuko, you swore you were going to be different. You swore that you were going to usher in an era of peace! How can you even look us in the eye to say things like that, and then lock up a mentally ill woman in a cage? I don't care how unpleasant she was, that can't be right. And come to think of it, she wasn't even a woman yet – she was only fourteen years old! What is _wrong_ with you?"

He scowled. "It's not that simple," he snapped. "You saw how she was after the Agni Kai. My sister was completely out of control. Even after the Avatar took her firebending, she was still extremely dangerous. She almost killed two of her guards once. For the first three weeks, she had to be chained down before we could even feed her!"

Ty Lee lowered her head. "She was never violent with _me," _she said, softly and sincerely. "I was never really afraid of her."

Toph cocked her head. "Sounds like she was a piece of work, Zuko. A complete lunatic. So tell us - how many doctors did you have in to look at her? Or waterbenders?"

He shifted in his seat. "Three."

Katara and Aang both looked at Ty Lee. The little acrobat squirmed, but nodded. "There were three doctors in to see her," she confirmed quietly, "a couple of days before I broke her out of prison."

"A year later." Katara's voice was full of disgust and loathing. "You actually let your own sister thrash and scream and cry for her dead mother in a cage in some filthy dungeon for a full year before you got her a doctor?" Zuko glowered, but said nothing. Beside him, his wife was equally silent. "Gods. And he wonders why she tried to kill him when she finally started to recover."

Iroh cleared his throat in the ensuing silence. "I think perhaps this is a good time for this meeting to adjourn," he said, "unless Azula has any more information she feels we need to know."

Azula bowed. "In fairness to my brother's wife," she said calmly, "I should point out that she did make some attempt to help me, once she saw the conditions I was living in. Ty Lee has told me I have Fire Lady Mai to thank for the larger cage I was eventually moved into, and the fact that I was also moved into a relatively clean cell later on. The doctors may have been her doing, as well." Her golden eyes moved to look mildly at the young queen. "Never let it be said that I don't give my enemies their due." Zuko frowned; Mai's eyes narrowed slightly. "Other than that," the former princess said airily, "I believe I have nothing more to say here, ladies and gentlemen."

Rising to his feet, Jeong Jeong motioned to the waiting guards. "In that case, I call this meeting to a close. There will be another this afternoon, but you and your companion will not be required to attend, Azula." She bowed again, gracefully. Ty Lee thought, as they were escorted back to their rooms, that she'd never seen the girl bow so many times in one morning before.

As the door was shut and locked behind them, the former princess patted the little acrobat on the back. "Well done, Ty Lee. Very well done." Azula's smile was wide. She was obviously well pleased.

"I did a good job?" Ty Lee peered at her hopefully. "You really think so, 'Zula?"

"Yes. Yes, indeed." The black-haired girl chortled to herself, sitting down on their bed. "You couldn't have done a better job if you'd tried! If I'd written a script for how I wanted these meetings to turn out, I couldn't have written a better one. Except for the White Lotus bit, I suppose." She rubbed her hands together gleefully. Then, still grinning, she reached out to the other girl. "Come here, Ty. I'm of a mind to celebrate!" Ty Lee blushed deeply. She thought she could guess what Azula had in mind. With a shy smile, she moved forward and took Azula's hand.


	64. Chapter 64

Ty Lee rested her head against her lover's chest and sighed happily, gazing into the cheerful blaze that burned on the hearth. Azula shifted underneath her a bit. Her golden eyes were full of contentment as she played idly with Ty Lee's fingers.

The former princess was sitting in her armchair, and Ty Lee was draped across her lap. The little acrobat was in her element. She cuddled her head underneath Azula's chin with another happy sigh; the former firebender drew her hand up to her face and pressed her lips against the inside of Ty Lee's wrist. The gymnast gave a mischievous giggle. "Haven't had enough of me yet, huh?" she murmured, leaning her head back to nuzzle Azula's throat. "Maybe I should return the favor you did me an hour ago. Is that what you're hinting at?"

"Maybe you should, a bit later." There was a wicked gleam in Azula's eye. "It's not like I couldn't just order you to do it, anyway."

"You could," Ty Lee said, with a humble nod. "But wouldn't it be better if I wanted to?" She squirmed and laughed as Azula followed up the kiss with a light nip to the inside of her elbow. It tickled. "Okay, okay! I give up." The former princess chuckled darkly as the acrobat snuggled into her again. "You win, 'Zula."

"Of course I do." Azula traced two fingers down the side of Ty Lee's face. "I know every single weakness you've got. You're ridiculously easy to conquer."

"That's because I want you to." Ty Lee smiled up into her lover's face. "You can conquer me whenever you like. Long as you snuggle me afterwards, of course." Her smile grew wider. "Baby."

A very definite blush crept over Azula's face. She scowled halfheartedly, as if she were trying and failing entirely to look like her intimidating self. "Again with _that,_" she said disgustedly. "I thought I already made it clear that I don't think that name is...entirely...appropriate."

"Hm, you don't like it? I kinda thought you might." Ty Lee gave a small, evil grin as she began to nip at the side of Azula's neck with her lips. "It looked to me as if you were into it the last time it came up. Do you _really_ want me to stop calling you that? Because I know I enjoy it, baby. And shouldn't I get to enjoy things sometimes, too?"

"Ty _Lee..._"

Azula's exasperated reply was cut short by a knock at the door. Before Ty Lee could scramble out of Azula's lap, the door opened, and the tall figure of Mai stepped inside. The little acrobat started to get up; the arm of the former princess tightened around her waist, holding her still. With some confusion, Ty Lee relaxed a bit. "M-Mai," she stammered. "I...I wondered if you were still coming..."

"Why wouldn't I? I told you we'd talk later." The young queen's face didn't alter as she took in the scene before her. "Jeong Jeong has been kind enough to lend us the use of a room down the hall. Unless I'm interrupting something?" One of Mai's elegant brows raised slightly.

"You are. But being royalty does entitle you to such privileges, your highness. Don't let me keep you." Azula's tone was light, and not unfriendly. Ty Lee was pulled down a little. To her frank astonishment, the former princess kissed her briefly on the lips. "Don't be too long. I'll be waiting." Azula's eyes twinkled with wicked amusement as she released the little acrobat's waist. Slightly flustered, Ty Lee finally got up from her seat on the girl's lap.

Mai said little as they walked together up the hall. The room she let her to was something like a small library, with two comfortable-looking sofas and walls lined with bookshelves. A welcoming fire burned in the grate.

Ty Lee turned to her friend as soon as they were truly alone and flung her arms around her neck. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said softly. "I was really worried about you, Mai. After everything you did for me, and all...and then Toph told me you were in prison." She pulled back to smile timidly up at her. "I was afraid that Zuko might have hurt you."

The young queen's eyes flickered. "Well, he did. Just not physically." She gave Ty Lee a quiet smile. "But I'm all right. I'm glad to see you're looking better, too." The acrobat nodded. "So," Mai went on, disengaging herself and taking a seat on one of the couches, "I take it that the first thing you did when you healed up was go and look for Azula."

"Yeah." The little acrobat smiled sheepishly as she, too, sat down. "It's a good thing I did, though. She was really bad when I found her. She didn't know who I was, and her clothes were in rags, and she was all skinny and starved. If I hadn't found her when I did, I think she'd have died."

There was a pause. Mai seemed hesitant. "You and...well, the two of you seem very close." Ty Lee blinked, her brow wrinkling. "You and Azula, I mean. You're quite serious, aren't you?"

Gravely, the little acrobat nodded. A smile twitched the corners of her lips. "Yes, we are," she said simply. "We're in love with each other, Mai."

"Do you think that's wise?" Mai asked quietly. "I don't mean from the point of view that she's evil, or any of that," she added quickly, as Ty Lee frowned. "I know you wouldn't listen to that, anyway. I just mean...the way things are, and the way things are heading, you're going to get hurt, Ty. You're probably going to get hurt badly. Surely you can see that."

Ty Lee nodded calmly, her fingers drifting up to absently rub the scars on her shoulder. "I know that. I've already had a taste of it. Remember?"

Mai sighed and looked away. "I know. But that isn't what I mean." She hesitated. "This whole...negotiation...thing. It'll save _your_ life, Ty Lee. I've personally made very sure of that. But it won't save Azula's." Her mouth compressed grimly as the acrobat frowned again. "Believe me. I don't care how individual meetings go, or who's advocating for her. Azula is as good as dead already. Zuko isn't going to compromise on that, and I'm not going to stop him. He has at least three separate charges he can bring against her to put the noose around her neck. And that's not counting the two that he's already laid out in these meetings."

Heat flared up in Ty Lee's face. "Then he'll have to go through me."

"He will. That's my point. Why do you think he's making such a show of the charges against you? It isn't as if _you_ are a threat to the Fire Nation throne." Mai folded her legs up underneath her and rested her hands against the arm of the sofa. "You won't be able to stop her hanging. You'll be in shackles, serving the first of your twenty years of hauling loads of stone for the Earth Kingdom."

The acrobat blanched. "And you won't do anything, Mai?"

"I already have done something," Mai retorted. "I've saved your neck. You won't die on the gallows with her. And I think I've already talked him into reducing your prison sentence to ten years. Five, if you behave yourself." She paused. "But as long as you insist on backing Azula, that's the best I can get for you."

"I love Azula." Ty Lee's eyes flashed. "I _love_ her. I'd stay with her even if it meant you were going to march me to the gallows right now!"

Mai sighed. Her eyes met Ty Lee's. "Are you _sure_?"

"Yes." Ty Lee's lip curled defiantly.

After a while, the young queen nodded quietly and looked away. "All right. Then I'll respect that." Her voice was bitter. "Just be careful of how much you expect from the children of Sozin, Ty. They're pretty, but they'll turn on you like snakes. How much do you think Azula would love you if she didn't need you to protect her right now?"

Ty Lee stared at her in shock and outrage for a moment. Then she stopped – she suddenly understood. Her eyes moistened. Slowly, the little acrobat moved over to kneel by the sofa and lay a hand on the young queen's arm. "Mai," she murmured. The narrow golden eyes looked at her warily. "What did he do to you?"

Mai closed her eyes quickly and turned her head away. There was silence for a while. Finally, she took a slow breath. "Ty Lee, you have to promise me that nothing I say to you here will ever leave this room." The Fire Lady looked at her again, and her face was strained. "It's probably just stupidity to talk to you at all...you're with _her..._but there's no one else. Promise." Her hand caught at Ty Lee's and crushed it hard. "_Promise."_

"Of course. I promise. I won't tell a soul." Ty Lee nodded, wincing a bit at the pain in her fingers.

"Okay, then." Mai released her and turned away again, so that Ty Lee was looking on her profile. The elegant brows lowered. For a while, the young queen was silent. "They didn't do what they did to you," she said at last. Her voice was low, but still steady. "I guess you'll probably say I had it better. They didn't strike me. But there are...other things. They starved me. They kept me awake. They stood me against a wall and questioned me for hours. _Hours, _Ty. And when my legs collapsed under me, they just stood me up again, and...I was starting to see things, hear things. I couldn't even control my own mind anymore." Mai's voice wavered, and she stopped talking abruptly. Ty Lee's eyes were wide. She bit her lip and waited for Mai to continue. After tightening her jaw and swallowing once or twice, Mai did. "And then Zuko hauled me into the interrogation room himself. He told me he was going to send me to the gallows along with you two. He...he hit me."

The little acrobat's eyes widened even more. "He did?" she whispered, in awe. As afraid as she herself was of the Fire Lord, she never would have dreamed that he would turn on his wife like that. Especially not after all the two had been through before finally finding each other.

Mai jerked her head in a nod. "Only once. And he did apologize later, I guess. But he did." There was a pause. "I'm his wife," the assassin said finally. "I'm the Fire Lady – the queen of the Fire Nation. It's not as if I could just walk away if I wanted to. Not that...well, not that I want to, exactly. But...to go out in public with him, and pretend that nothing's changed...it's..." Her white hand, still resting on the arm of the sofa, slowly clenched into a fist. "I'm just so angry at him, Ty. I'm angry, and...and..." She stopped again.

Gently, Ty Lee drew the fist down from its perch and held it between her hands. "I'm sorry, Mai," she murmured. "I wish I could tell you what you should do. But I'm not as smart as you anyway. You probably know better than I would."

"I was raised for this," Mai said bitterly. "My parents taught and trained and molded me from the cradle to be a good little wife to Zuko. Here I am – all the right genetics, all the right connections, every courtly grace there is ingrained into my very soul from the day I was born, and promised to him before I could even talk. I should be happy. This was supposed to be the fulfillment of my existence." Her narrow eyes flicked to her friend's face. "Although I suppose that if I were really a good little wife, I'd have just let him do what he wanted with you."

The little acrobat's brows lowered. "That might have made you an obedient wife, but it would probably have made you a bad person, too," she said. "But I guess I'm sort of biased."

"It isn't supposed to be this complicated," Mai growled. "I should be thrilled! I'm doing what I'm supposed to, aren't I? I'm shoring him up, helping to further his political career, helping him take down his sister..." Her free arm slipped to her side and tapped there nervously. Ty Lee heard the metallic clink of the woman's hidden knives striking together.

Hesitantly, Ty Lee took the opening. "You're not just helping him take Azula down because you're his wife, though," she said. "You want to do that yourself, right? You said that to me, back when we had you prisoner. You said even then that you thought she should die."

Mai seemed to come out of whatever cloud of self-pity she'd been indulging in. She regarded Ty Lee in silence for several moments, unsmiling. "If we talk about this now," she said finally, "it'll probably cost us our friendship. I mean, this will wind up costing us our friendship eventually, anyway, but I'd rather keep it as long as I can. I don't make friends. And out of the three I did have, one married me, one betrayed me, and one...well, you've more or less been all right, I suppose. Let's not kill it yet, Ty."

Ty Lee lowered her head sadly. "So you won't bend, then."

"No. And neither will you. So let's just not discuss it."

"You're going to turn me over to the Earth Kingdom, so Azula has to die alone. And you're going to leave me here until I'm forty, and then let me go to prison for another five or ten years." The gymnast met Mai's eyes with her own. "And you won't do anything about any of it." Mai said nothing. "Then maybe you've killed it already," Ty Lee said softly.

Anger flushed the young queen's face. "I saved your life," she hissed. "I've stopped Zuko from giving you the noose. I've gotten him to take over _fifty years_ off of your jail sentence. You've got no right to act as if I'm the bad guy, here! If you don't like slavery and prison, maybe you should have thought twice before breaking out an enemy of the state. And if Azula doesn't like hanging, maybe she should have thought about that before trying to kill her brother!"

Ty Lee bowed her head. She could feel her own cheeks coloring. "Thank you for everything you've done," she said quietly. "Really, Mai. I'm grateful for it. I know I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for you. But I can't be good friends with someone who's going to be in the courtroom helping Zuko to send Azula to the gallows. She's my lover, Mai." Her eyes met the queen's amber ones. "I bet you can understand that."

Mai swallowed. "I see." There was a heavy silence. "I guess we've both made our choices, then." Ty Lee nodded sadly. There was another pause. "I intend to keep defending you."

"Thanks," Ty Lee murmured. "And I promise I'll try not to hate you."

"Fair enough. I suppose that's the best we can do for now." The Fire Lady rose to her feet. Ty Lee watched as Mai's mask of detached calm fell into place. She'd always been slightly mystified by the ability that Mai displayed to hide what she was really feeling. Her own face, she knew, was an open book. That was what made her such a terrible liar. "I'll take you back to your room," Mai said quietly. "I believe Azula mentioned she was waiting for you."

"Yeah. She did." The little acrobat put her arms around the taller girl and hugged her, hard. She felt Mai return the embrace lightly. "I'm really sorry about all this, Mai," Ty Lee whispered. "I wish everything wasn't so messed up."

"Whatever. That's life." The cool mask hadn't broken when Ty Lee released Mai. The young queen turned toward the door. "Let's go. Wouldn't want to keep Azula waiting."

Azula was reading a book by the fire when the two girls reentered the room. With a cool smile, the former princess set aside her reading and rose to her feet. "Fire Lady Mai." The assassin paused in the act of turning to leave. Azula crossed the floor to where Ty Lee stood and, slipping a possessive arm around the little acrobat's waist, bowed her head in Mai's direction. "I wonder if I could ask you for a favor," she said. "I want to speak privately with my brother."

The young queen's eyes narrowed. "I doubt he'd be interested."

"I think he would. And if he isn't, he should be." Azula gave an enigmatic smile. Squeezing the gymnast a little, she released her. "Ty, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to the Fire Lady for a minute." Ty Lee's brows lowered just a bit, but she nodded submissively and moved to sit on the bed at the other end of the room. Azula's back was to her, and Mai's face was as unreadable as it usually was. Azula was evidently speaking, as the young queen's mouth was closed. Mai shook her head a few times, firmly. Then Ty Lee saw the assassin's eyebrows rise. A few sentences were exchanged. Finally, with a curt nod, the Fire Lady turned and left the room.

Calmly, Azula went back to her chair. She glanced at Ty Lee as she picked up her book. "Did you two have a good visit?" she asked lightly.

"Not really." The little acrobat's voice was solemn. "I don't think we're friends anymore."

Azula paused, looked at her closely, and then set the book down on the floor again. "Come here, Ty," she said, beckoning. The gymnast obeyed. The white hands of the princess drew her down into her lap. Ty Lee laid her head against Azula's warm body with a sigh. She felt slender fingers gently pulling through her hair, and closed her eyes.

It was amazing how Azula could make her feel better without saying a word.


	65. Chapter 65

It had been a long day, Azula thought. The meeting in the morning, and then – after a little recreation with Ty Lee – a very uneventful and boring afternoon had made the day seem at least twice as long as it had actually been. And she had accomplished a few important things, as well. The morning's meeting had gone almost perfectly. She'd managed to convince Mai to ask Zuko for a private interview, which had already been granted for the day after tomorrow. (Azula allowed herself a private smile as she considered this. She'd given Mai a rather compelling reason to carry her message, and Zuko had apparently thought it persuasive, as well...) She'd also asked for, and received, an appointment to speak with her uncle in the morning. And now...

She sighed, glancing over to where Ty Lee was sitting. The little acrobat was on the floor by their bed, looking with sleepy disinterest over a picture book of the Earth Kingdom that was spread out on her knees. It was obvious that she was exhausted – her brown head had nodded at least three times in the last few minutes. She was likely waiting for Azula to come to bed.

The former princess thought quietly for a few moments. Then, with a slow shake of her head, she got up from her chair. Ty Lee looked up hopefully as her lover approached her. Azula paused and looked down at her quietly. "You should go to bed, Ty Lee," she said. "It's getting late. No sense you being tired tomorrow."

"You're not coming?" The gymnast's lip quivered. "But 'Zula, you didn't last night, either..."

"I know." Azula stooped down to kiss the top of her head. "But I need to meditate, Ty. I'm going to try to talk to my mother again."

"Can't you meditate in bed?" Ty Lee asked mournfully.

"No. Definitely not." Azula's voice was flat. Then, seeing Ty Lee's eyes tear up, she gave the little acrobat a sly smile. "I'd never be able to control my thoughts. There are entirely too many delightful distractions there." The girl didn't smile. Her bitter disappointment was obvious. The former princess paused. _Blast it. She's being needy and unreasonable again...but I'd better concede something. Ty Lee's much more manageable when she's happy. _"I'll tell you what," Azula said, with a sigh. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, all right?"

Ty Lee's smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds. "Okay," she agreed cheerfully. "Thanks, 'Zula."

Later, as Ty Lee lay quietly against the curve of Azula's body, the former firebender gazed down at her through narrowed eyes. She was curled up like a cat, her hands resting before her face, and her forehead pressed into Azula's shoulder. The black-haired girl studied the contours of that face, her hawk eyes tracing over the curve of the cheek, the soft bow of the lips, and the impossibly-long lashes that now fluttered a bit as the girl dreamed. Azula drew the blanket up to cover Ty Lee. Then she dropped a soft kiss on on the rosy cheek before climbing cautiously out of their bed.

The room was chilly, but the fire was warm. Azula sat down cross-legged before it, straightening her back and laying her palms on her knees. She wasn't entirely sure of how she was going to accomplish this. Assuming that her former meeting with her mother had actually happened, she still didn't know how to actually enter the Spirit World by herself;. On both of her previous visits, she'd been more or less shepherded in – once by Avatar Aang, and once by her great-grandfather. Azula frowned into the flames before her, sighed, and shook her head to clear it. _I do know that I need to meditate first, _she told herself. _So if I do that, maybe I can figure it out from there._ She locked her gaze on the heart of the fire and began to breathe deliberately.

_Inhale – hold – exhale – relax. _The rhythm felt natural after a few repetitions. It was like the regular beat of her heart, or the motion of the tides. Thought slowed and stopped altogether. _Inhale – hold – exhale – relax. _The familiar and welcome darkness of meditation claimed her. Once again, she became simply a spirit, bodiless. Awareness.

Azula stood up, and took a step backward.

She hadn't really willed it. The movement had been almost instinctual. Opening her eyes, she saw her own body before her. For once, the sight didn't make her dizzy. She smiled in triumph at having gotten this far, glancing at the bed behind her. Ty Lee was still sound asleep. There was a faintly luminous quality about her. Azula moved to stand by the bed, looking at her curiously. _I guess I must be seeing her spirit through her skin, or something. _She reached down hesitantly to touch the softly-glowing forehead, and felt the warmth against her palm. Azula almost wanted to try to wake her. _No. I'd probably scare her pretty badly. She'd think I was a ghost, or something. _Bending down, Azula cautiously kissed her lover's soft mouth. Ty Lee stirred a bit, murmured, and lay still again. A tiny smile briefly flickered over the little acrobat's lips.

_I'm letting myself get distracted again. _Azula turned away from the bed and stood in the middle of the room, looking around. She had no idea where to go from here. _Do I just open a door, or something? When Aang did it, he shut his eyes and started to glow somehow, but I don't know what he was doing when that happened. _The former princess frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. _I guess I need help. Mother said I could come to her when I needed her..._ This gave Azula an idea. Slowly, she closed her eyes, as she had seen Aang do. She licked her lips nervously. "Mother?" she called softly.

She was enveloped in warmth. Soft, strong arms clasped her from behind, pulling her against a body already very familiar. With a soft cry, Azula twisted around in the embrace and pressed herself against her mother.

The room was gone. Once more, Azula was sitting with Ursa in the garden from her childhood. Azula gave a faint whimper as tears began to flow – although she didn't even really know why. "Mother," she whispered, pressing her face into Ursa's gown. "Mother..." The woman held her gently as she cried, murmuring her name.

"I'm glad you've come back, my dear." Ursa drew Azula's head from her bosom after a while, her fingers brushing the tears from her daughter's pale cheeks. Her smile was warm and full of love. "I enjoyed our last time together."

"It wasn't only a dream." Azula's voice was faint with relief. "I wasn't sure...it felt so real, but I just couldn't be certain..."

"No. It wasn't a dream, Azula." Her mother shook her head, still smiling. "You're here." She clasped the girl's head gently against her chest again. "Did you take my advice, my love?"

"Yes, Mother. I did." The former princess relaxed, letting her body slump into Ursa's. She felt the strong arms shift to support her. "I went to Uncle Iroh, like you said, and I told him everything. He hasn't said if he's going to help me yet, but he did tell me something that I needed to know. I think...I think maybe he might help. We're going to talk again tomorrow morning. And Zuko and I are going to talk the day after."

Ursa's golden eyes were solemn as she gazed down at her. "So you're going to talk to your brother after all," she said. "I'm glad. What are you going to tell him, Azula?" The girl hesitated. "Are you going to tell him about me?"

"I don't know. I doubt it, Mother. It might be a bad idea. He'd never believe me, and I think it would just make him angrier." Azula sighed softly. "I've only got a couple of high cards to play. And it depends on how the talk with Uncle Iroh goes. If he'll help me, then I'll talk to Zuko about that. If not...then I have two options." Her mother's hand was resting on Azula's knee. The former princess took it in her own, running her fingertips lightly over the lines of the palm. "I'm going to tell him about Great-grandfather Roku first, and tell him what he said. And I'll ask Zuko to give me a chance."

"That's my girl." Ursa kissed her forehead and smiled proudly. "Zuko's a good boy. I'm sure he'll listen to that."

The former firebender shrugged pensively. "I hope so." She looked up at her mother. "Otherwise, I'll have to play my last card."

Ursa's face grew solemn. "Is that the option you were telling me about the last time you were here?" Azula nodded quietly. Her mother sighed. "That's a very dangerous game, my dear. It's just as likely to explode in your face." She stroked her daughter's cheek. "Can't my brilliant little thinker come up with a less risky plan than that one?"

"No. I've thought through everything for hours, Mother. If I want to keep my promise to Ty Lee, there really aren't any other choices." Azula closed her eyes. Here in her mother's arms, the fear and danger seemed far away. "You know what a free spirit she is. Slavery would kill her. Even if the Avatar could get Zuko to let me live so I could serve the sentence with her, I don't think Ty would make it through twenty years of it. No. My way's the only way there is." She sighed and shrugged a bit. "But maybe Zuko will listen when I ask him for mercy, and I won't have to do it at all."

The woman kissed her again. "My dear, brave little girl," she murmured. "I'm so very proud of you. I wish that I could help you more than I have." Their talk turned to other things. Azula asked a few questions, but was mostly silent. She wanted to hear the sound of her mother's voice and soak up the loving attention that she'd craved for so long. It was as close to bliss as anything the former princess had ever experienced. Ursa's fingers eventually brushed her daughter's bangs from her face. "The sun is coming up in your world, my darling," she said gently. "I think it's time you went back."

Azula smiled peacefully, closing her eyes. "Why do I have to go back? Can't I just stay here with you?"

"I suppose that you could. I know I'd love to keep you." Ursa kissed her softly. "But the Spirit World isn't here to help you escape from life and consequences, my lamb. And besides, if you stayed here, what would happen to your little Ty Lee?"

The thought shattered Azula's complacent bliss. She grimaced, but slowly sat up. "You're right, Mother," she said quietly. "I can't leave Ty like that." She looked around. "I'm...not sure how to get back, though."

"Then let me show you something – a secret." Ursa held out her hand, palm up, roughly level with Azula's belly. "Look." Azula looked down, frowning a little. At first, she saw nothing. Then she spotted it – a thin thread, like spider webbing, stretching across her mother's palm. It extended beyond, glinting a little, and disappeared into the misty distance. The other end...Azula looked down, and saw with a small shock that it seemed to be attached to her middle somewhere. "This is your lifeline," Ursa said quietly. "It connects you to your body until death, when it breaks off. When you want to return to your body, all you have to do is close your eyes and give your lifeline a light tug. But don't pull too hard, my lamb. If you do, you might land too hard, and throw yourself across the room."

"Okay." Azula peered curiously at the gossamer thread, touching it lightly with her fingertip.

"And would you like to know how you can easily find me?" Ursa smiled. Azula looked up and nodded. "I think your eye is open enough to see it." Her mother paused to peer at her and touch her lightly on the forehead, between her eyes. "Yes...I think so." Her eyes smiled. "Think about me, my lamb." Azula's brow wrinkled, but she did as she was told. Ursa held up her hand again, a bit higher. "Look." There was another, fainter thread on her palm this time. Squinting at it, Azula thought that it had a bit of a reddish tinge. "This is your heart line," Ursa explained. "It connects you to the people you love. When you want to come to me, do the same as you would with your life line – only with this." She let her hand fall. "You had better go, lamb. Ty Lee's going to wake up in a few moments."

Sighing deeply, Azula nodded and rose to her feet. "I'll come back," she said softly.

"And I will be waiting, my love." Ursa's smile was the last thing Azula saw before she closed her eyes and gave her life line a light tug.

Her eyes opened.

The fire was dying on the grate before her, mere coals now, with occasional wisps of flame struggling at the edges. Azula took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. She could see the pale light of morning trickling in through the cracks of the boards that covered their window. The former princess rose stiffly to her feet. The bed beckoned her. Crossing to it, she arrived just in time to see Ty Lee's eyes blink open. Azula bent to grace her lover's lips with a soft kiss.


	66. Chapter 66

"Azula?"

The former princess stopped her pacing to look at Ty Lee. The acrobat was sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs like a little girl. She was biting her lip and looking at her through her lashes. Azula ran her hand through her hair and sighed, looking away. "What?"

"What are you talking to everyone about?" Azula's eyes narrowed a bit, and she turned to face the other girl. Ty Lee fidgeted and scratched at the bedspread with her fingernails. "You know – like this meeting you're having this morning with General Iroh, and when you talked to Mai, and...well, and your older brother. I mean, I know I'm not smart like you and Mai, but I'd still like to know at least _something._ And you never really tell me anything."

Shaking her head, Azula looked down. "It's better that you don't know, Ty," she said quietly. "You don't even like talking about my impending death sentence, or those twenty years of hard labor we've evidently got coming, unless we can stop it. Why would you want me to drag you through all the sordid details of what I have to do to defend you? All that would do is make you miserable."

The little acrobat squirmed some more. She couldn't seem to meet Azula's gaze. "I don't know," she faltered. "I guess maybe I'd just...like to know."

Azula's brows came down as she took in the expression on Ty Lee's face. "Why? I've taken you as my lover, and I've told you that I'll defend you. And you said that you trusted me. Why would you suddenly want to know all the details now?"

"I do trust you. Of course I do,' Zula." The corners of Ty Lee's mouth curved downward. "But it's...it's just really hard sitting here, no _knowing_ anything, okay? And doing most of the talking in those meetings, even though I didn't know anything then, either. You go to these meetings, and you come back, and you don't say anything, and...please, Azula, tell me _something."_

A pang of guilt gnawed at Azula's belly. It hadn't really occurred to her how difficult this must have been for the young gymnast. She frowned down at the floor thoughtfully for a moment or two, trying to decide what to say. "Okay," she said finally, looking back up. "The last time I met with Uncle Iroh, I was telling him everything that's happened since Father first sent me to look for Zuko. Mother told me to as his advice. Uncle Iroh's been thinking it all over. I'm going to talk to him this morning to find out if he has any advice for me. I'm also going to ask him whether he'll help us."

Ty Lee nodded. Some of the trouble faded from her expressive face as she listened. Azula paused again, thinking. "Mai...I told her something that I thought would motivate Zuko to talk to me. It did. I'm not going to tell you what it was, yet, and you're just going to have to trust me on that point. I promise to tell you later, once it's safe for you to know." The acrobat bowed her head and nodded again. "And I'm going to ask my brother for another chance. It might not work. It probably won't, actually. But I'll ask." The former firebender's lips twitched into a faint smile. "I might even beg him for mercy, if there's a chance it might make him go easy on you." She raised one black eyebrow. "Are you satisfied?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee's voice was soft. She looked up at her princess, smiling a bit. "Thanks, 'Zula."

Before Azula could respond to this, there came a heavy knock at the door. The massive, powerful form of General Iroh stepped into the room a moment or two later. Turning from Ty Lee, Azula touched her fist to the palm of her hand and bowed. "Uncle Iroh," she said. "Thank you for coming."

The old man inclined his head quietly. "Azula." He looked at the little acrobat and smiled gravely. "Ty Lee." The gymnast nodded back, with a timid smile. His keen eyes turned back to the former princess. "So, my niece, are we including everybody today, or are you discussing something with me in private?"

"I would prefer to discuss this in private, Uncle. If you don't mind." Azula pointedly kept her eyes on the old man so that she wouldn't have to see the fresh sadness cross Ty Lee's face. _I really don't need another guilt trip right now. Especially not if I wind up having to do what I think I'll have to do...damn it all, why did I have to develop a conscience, anyway? _"I just have a few questions."

General Iroh nodded. "I thought as much." He turned heavily, as if movement was an effort. He had a habit of doing that – of acting like a slightly senile, arthritic old man. Azula smirked slightly. _You don't fool me, Uncle. They told me what happened in Ba Sing Se – and in that prison tower. _She didn't comment. Silently, she followed him from the room. The guards at the door watched her go with wary eyes; Azula favored them with a contemptuous sniff.

As he had done before, Iroh took her to his quarters and prepared tea. They drank together in silence for a couple of minutes. Azula was content to wait; she wanted to see whether he would volunteer anything. After a while, he sighed. "What would you like to talk to me about, Azula?"

She put down her teacup, her eyes on the table. "I told you what I wanted the last time we talked, Uncle Iroh," she said quietly. "Mother told me to tell you everything and take any advice that you would give me. I told you the whole story. You said you would think about everything that I'd told you. So now I want to know if you have any advice for me, or if I should look elsewhere."

Solemnly, the old general sipped his tea. He didn't answer for at least a minute. Azula waited, with perhaps a little less patience than before. "Advice is a difficult thing sometimes," he said finally. "I am honored that Ursa would think mine worth asking for, even from beyond the grave. But I am not so certain that I can help you." The former princess looked at him, but said nothing. "This might well be a case of far too little, far too late. If your brother had allowed you a chance a year ago, and if you had asked him for mercy then, I think he would have given it to you. But he was too stubborn, and you were too sick – and likely too stubborn, yourself."

Azula felt her ears grow warm. "I intend to ask my brother for mercy tomorrow," she said, her voice low. "I know it probably is too little, too late, as you say. But I'm going to try."

He sat forward, his bushy brows drawn low over his eyes. "Answer me this, Azula," he said sternly. "Do you actually want to reconcile with your brother? Or are you just trying to save your own skin, and avoid the gallows?"

The former princess shrugged. "I don't honestly know, Uncle. Of course I'd like to not have my neck wrung. It would be stupid to claim otherwise. As for Zuko – I'm quite sure that he hates me. And I return the favor." She paused. "I can remember having felt otherwise, once," she admitted. "Back when Mother was still there, and before...before Father was Fire Lord. But that was a long time ago, Uncle. A lot has happened since then." Azula met his gaze. "I don't believe either of us can turn, now. I think it's too late." His expression didn't change. With a sigh, she looked away.

"Then it probably is." General Iroh took a long sip of tea. He said nothing more.

The girl looked at him. "So that's it, then? 'It's too late, too bad about that, off to death row with you?' That's all you can tell me, Uncle?"

"No. That isn't everything." He put his cup down and clasped his hands over his middle. His face was very grave. "There are a number of things that you can do, Azula. I would have advised you to humble yourself before your brother; it seems you have already resolved to do this. I think apologies might also be wise." Azula scowled, and he shook his head. "Yes, I know that he isn't blameless in all this, but you have no control over that. The only person that you have control over in this is _you_, Azula, as little as you may like that fact. And he has most of the power. It would only be common sense to admit your wrongdoing to him and ask him for mercy. How you go about that will, of course, be up to you." She chewed her lip. As much as she despised the idea, she had to admit that her uncle was probably right. "I would also advise you to offer your apologies to Mai. Of all the people you've wronged in all of this, I think you have wronged her the most, in that she bore you very little ill will in the beginning. You've even admitted that she helped you by pleading your case with my nephew, Azula. And you paid her back by first trying to kill her husband, and then kidnapping and holding her hostage."

Azula shifted in her seat, her lip curling. "That's your advice. I have to kneel down and kowtow and beg my brother and his wife for mercy, as if I were nothing more than a whipped cur."

"That is my advice," Iroh said agreeably. "But you are certainly free to ignore it, if you would rather die proud than live disgraced." He topped up his cup of tea and sipped at it cheerfully as Azula mulled this over.

After a while, the former princess sighed and looked down at her own hands. "Uncle," she said softly, "do you think that my asking for clemency would help Ty Lee?" He looked at her in silence, his brows raising just a touch. "She doesn't deserve everything they're throwing at her, Uncle. She's never hurt anyone. I'm the one who threatened Mai and kicked her, not Ty. I'm the one who killed those soldiers. I'm the one who tried to have my brother cut down. Why should she have her title stripped? Why should she have to serve twenty years of hard labor and who knows how many in prison?"

The old man seemed to be considering how much to say. Azula knew the look. "The Fire Lady and I have been pleading Ty Lee's case," he said finally. "Zuko has already agreed to commute her prison sentence to ten years, and Mai believes she can talk him down to five. He refuses, however, to ask the Earth Kingdom to reduce the sentence they would pass. She will have to serve out the full twenty-one years unless the Earth King should decide to take pity on her."

"That would _kill_ her, Uncle. You know that." Azula's voice cracked as her emotions began to get the better of her. "If I weren't looking at hanging, I'd offer to serve that damn sentence myself...Ty Lee didn't harm those soldiers. I did. I should be paying for it, not her!"

"She did paralyze them," he said quietly. "And if she hadn't -"

"Then I couldn't have slit their throats. Yes, yes, I know," the girl growled. "But if she'd been able to stop me, she would have. You're well aware of that, I'm sure. She was lying unconscious in a pool of blood when I took matters into my own hands. Ty Lee had nothing to do with that." Azula got up from her chair and paced the floor a few times in her agitation. Then, abruptly, she stopped. "Uncle, isn't there any way I can talk to the Earth King about this? Or write him a letter, or something? There's no way that what Ty Lee did should net her twenty years of anything."

Iroh shook his head. "I doubt your brother would allow that."

"I'm not asking my brother, Uncle Iroh," Azula said steadily. "I'm asking _you."_ There was a pause. "Uncle, I need help. I don't want to die. And...and even if I have to hang, what they want to give Ty Lee isn't justice. Even a supposed fiend like me knows that. Uncle, please..." She swallowed her pride with some difficulty and dropped down to her knees. "Please, help us."

The old general set down his teacup on the table. "I am here in an advisory capacity only," he said quietly. "I advise the young Avatar. As a member of your brother's council, I also advise him, and his wife, when she asks for it. I've already told Zuko that I think it would be wise to show you mercy. I'm not willing to attempt to force the Fire Lord's hand, or assert some kind of familial authority. If he should decide to condemn you to the gallows, it would of course be unfortunate for you. But bear in mind that it would also be a consequence of what you yourself have done." Azula opened her mouth to protest, but he lifted a hand to stop her. "I'm not finished." She shut her lips tightly. "I give you this: I will continue, with Fire Lady Mai, to advocate for Ty Lee. Between the two of us, we may be able to persuade your brother to drop the prison sentence entirely, or at least suspend it."

Azula's mind was operating coldly now, weighing and rejecting his words. She slowly got up again. "That's not good enough." Iroh said nothing. With deadly calm, Azula bowed from the waist. "I will take your advice, Uncle. Will you do me the favor of asking Mai if she will grant me an audience tomorrow morning? I'll grovel in the dirt like a good little prisoner. And if that doesn't work, then I'll play my trump card."

General Iroh raised a brow. "Would this trump card have anything to do with the reason that Zuko agreed to meet with you tomorrow?"

"It would," Azula said.

"Does Ty Lee know anything about this?" The old man's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he searched her face.

"She doesn't," the former princess said calmly. "And she won't, either, unless and until she has to. Much better for everybody that way." She bowed again. "I don't want to waste your time, Uncle Iroh. I've asked all the questions I need to." A cold smile twitched her lips. "I won't be bothering you again, I don't think."

"As you wish, Azula." Iroh rose ponderously to his feet.

Ty Lee seemed to have recovered from her pouting by the time Azula returned. She greeted her lover with a bonecrushing hug. "Sorry, 'Zula," she whispered, pressing a small kiss to the lobe of her ear that made Azula shiver. "I just hate it when you go. I worry that you won't come back." The black-haired girl nodded and sighed, resting her forehead against the hard muscle of Ty Lee's shoulder. "Are you okay?" the little acrobat asked anxiously. "Did your uncle tell you something bad?"

_She doesn't need to know. _"Nothing too earth-shattering, I suppose." Azula managed a smile, and lied through her teeth. "I think I'm just tired, Ty."

"Course you are – meditating and thinking and worrying all night, instead of coming to bed." The gymnast shook her head scornfully and began to draw Azula firmly toward their bed by the arm. "You're going to take a nap, now. And no arguing!" The princess grimaced, but didn't protest as Ty Lee bundled her between the sheets and drew the blanket up over her. "I'll wake you when lunch gets here," the little acrobat told her. "Now, you get some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," Azula said drily. Nonetheless, she dutifully closed her eyes. To her mild surprise, she actually was a bit tired. In a very few minutes, Azula fell asleep.


	67. Chapter 67

Azula lay on her side, her head propped up on her left hand. With her right, she was tracing intricate patterns on the naked skin of Ty Lee's shoulder. The acrobat was fast asleep, but her arms were still draped around her lover's body, preventing any ideas Azula might have had about getting up early that morning. _Not that I really want to get up early, after last night. _The former princess smiled faintly and laid her head back down on the pillow.

She hadn't fully intended for last night to go on as long as it had. What had begun as an innocent goodnight kiss had blossomed into much more, until Azula had pushed Ty Lee down on her back on the bed. Even though the acrobat was far stronger than she now was, she had allowed herself to be dominated – and Azula had been hungry for it. The black-haired girl smiled and closed her eyes. It had been good. She hadn't let Ty Lee rest until after two o'clock in the morning. Every time she'd though about stopping, her impending talk with her brother had come to mind, and she had bent back down to kiss her lover again.

The thought of that looming appointment made Azula scrunch her eyes tightly for a moment. She sighed and opened them again, her gaze lingering on Ty Lee's face. Her fingers drifted up to brush gently over the little acrobat's brows – the bridge of her snubbed nose – the soft curve of her lower lip. "I'll protect you," she whispered. "I promise." Resolve hardened in her heart.

The soft touch made Ty Lee shift and mumble a little. Her arms tightened around Azula's body for a moment; the former princess smirked into the gray eyes that now opened just a crack. Ty Lee's lips curved upward. "G'morning."

"Good morning, lazy girl." Azula brushed Ty Lee's hair back and kissed her forehead. "I think you'd sleep all day, if I let you."

"Meanie." The little acrobat nuzzled her head beneath Azula's chin to brushed her lips against the hollow at the base of her throat. "Saying nasty things to me before I'm awake enough to defend myself."

"You know you like it when I'm nasty to you." There was a wicked glint in Azula's amber eyes as she smirked. Her fingertips trailed over certain slightly-faded, circular bruises that still showed against the creamy skin of Ty Lee's neck. "You even ask for it again." She took her lover's earlobe between her teeth and gave it a light nip, making the gymnast squeak. Then, chuckling softly, she moved back again. "You'd better let me get up, though. Mai's coming to talk to me this morning."

Ty Lee's fingers slid down Azula's side. "All right," the acrobat sighed reluctantly, and released her. Azula, however, made no immediate move to get up. For once she was just as reluctant as Ty Lee to let the moment end. She bent her head over to kiss a spot just beneath the ear she had bitten. The gymnast sighed blissfully, arching her neck to give Azula better access. The former princess kissed a slow, deliberate line along the edge of Ty Lee's jaw, finally moving up to press her lips against the corner of her lover's mouth. She felt the little acrobat shiver with pleasure. Then she pulled back, breathing hard, and felt Ty Lee's breath moving against her throat. "I love you," Ty Lee whispered.

Very slowly, Azula lowered her head again, until her mouth nearly brushed against the shell of her lover's ear. "I'll tell you a secret. Don't tell anyone," she murmured, then paused for a moment. Her golden eyes closed. Her voice, when she spoke again, was just barely audible. "I think I might love you, too." The joy that lit up Ty Lee's face at this sent a pang through Azula's heart. She quickly shut her eyes again and turned her head. "I'd better get up," she said gruffly, pulling away.

Mai came early. Her knock came as Azula and Ty Lee were just finishing their breakfast. The former princess rose from her seat as the tall young woman entered, flanked by two Fire Nation guards. "Fire Lady Mai." Very deliberately, Azula struck her fist against the heel of her hand and bowed. "Thank you so much for coming."

"You're welcome, I suppose." Mai's husky voice was guarded. Her gaze rested briefly on Ty Lee; the little acrobat looked away. "Come on, Azula. Let's go and get this over with – whatever you have in mind." The young queen paused in the act of turning away. "Sorry about the guards. My husband insisted. And you'll have to have your hands restrained."

Azula winced. She briefly considered calling off this meeting entirely, then shrugged. "As my lady prefers, I'm sure." The soldiers stepped forward, laid their hands on Azula's arms, and forced them behind her back. She didn't resist as her wrists were bound with cords, although she did have to bite back a number of choice curses against their family trees. Then they grasped her firmly by the shoulders and guided her forward. Mai led the way down the hall.

The room that Mai took her to was bare – Azula recognized it, after a moment or two, as the one where she and Aang had journeyed into the Spirit World together. It was as austere and prison-like as ever, which Azula was sure was Mai's intent. The young queen faced her with her arms folded and her narrow eyes wary. "All right, fine. So we're here. What do you want, Azula?"

The former princess inhaled deeply. This was almost as hard as she imagined bowing to her brother was going to be. Slowly, she knelt down and bent her head downward. She didn't bow down all the way, but kept her eyes on the floor. "Two things, your highness," she said quietly. "First – I owe you an apology." The words were bitter on her tongue.

"Oh?" Mai's tone was light. Azula could imagine the enjoyment that she was getting out of this. She bit down on her tongue. "Do tell."

Another deep breath. "You were...kind...to me. When I was in prison, I mean." _Gods, this is harder than I thought it would be. _"Like I said in that meeting, you got me out of that hellhole I was chained up in, and all that. I never thanked you. And I even...well, when you were our prisoner, perhaps I was too...harsh." Azula stopped, grimacing. _Not good enough. _"No. I _was_ too harsh. I shouldn't have...struck you. Or put that knife to your throat."

"Or called me your brother's little tramp?"

There was a definite smirk in Mai's voice. Azula ground her teeth and spoke through them. "Or called you my brother's little tramp." She closed her eyes. "I'm...sorry."

Silence fell. The former princess was as still as stone, despite the urge to fidget. "You know," Mai said quietly, "if I actually thought there was any chance that you meant what you just said, I might consider trying to forgive you. But we both know why you're doing this." She paused. "Fear of the noose is a pretty powerful motivator, isn't it, Azula?" There was silence again. Azula didn't even try to argue. She waited, her jaw clenched tightly. "Okay. Fine. Apology accepted for exactly what it's worth. Now, what else did you want to tell me?"

This would have been bad enough without Mai's 'fear of the noose' comment. Azula's hands balled up into fists. It was hard to breathe. "I want to ask you for mercy," she said, her voice low and half-choked. "Please, Mai. _Please." _She slowly lifted her head to look up.

The face of the Fire Lady was a neutral mask, the same look Mai always wore when she was hiding what she was really thinking. Her narrow eyes searched Azula's. Her voice, when she finally spoke again, was a bit softer. "I don't have the power to take you off the gallows. The only hand that can take the rope from around your neck is the hand of the man you tried to kill, Azula."

"That...isn't what I meant." The former firebender dropped her eyes and scowled. "I mean...of course, it's part of what I meant, but...I mean Ty Lee." Mai said nothing. "You know she doesn't deserve what my brother's going to give her. She hasn't done anything to merit his turning her over to the Earth Kingdom for twenty years." The young queen still said nothing. Azula looked up; Mai was looking away, her lips tight. "Come on, Mai. You know I'm right! And _you_ know what would happen to her. A Fire Nation citizen in the hands of Earth Kingdom soldiers – and one convicted of being a murderer? She'd never see home again."

"Unfortunately," Mai said heavily, "the situation isn't good. The tensions between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom still run high. And this has the potential to become a serious incident. Zuko asked for the help of Earth Kingdom troops, and three of them were murdered. Heads have to roll. If he's seen as being soft on you two, it could have very serious consequences."

"Then let _my_ head roll, Mai! I'm the one who did it." Azula sat back on her heels, her eyes blazing. "I held the knife. Ty Lee was out cold when it happened. Mai, you know that. You were there! If they want someone to blame, turn me over to them."

"That would work," Mai agreed quietly, "except that you're marked for the gallows, Azula. He's going to hang you the moment that he can. And we both know why."

"I'll sign away my rights to the throne," Azula said desperately. "I'll say whatever he wants, do whatever he tells me to do. He can declare me a bastard child, for all I care. Don't give her to them, Mai! She shouldn't have to serve a sentence that ought to be given to me. Please, Mai. You wouldn't really sacrifice an innocent life to something like this, would you? Have mercy."

The pale lips of the empress quirked into a faint smile. "Ty Lee might be sweet and bubbly, but she's hardly an innocent life in the eyes of the law. She's deliberately aligned herself with the most dangerous enemy of the state the Fire Nation has," she pointed out. "Anyway, it's out of my hands. To answer your question – yes, I would let one person serve twenty years of hard labor, if it will avert another war. I'm the queen of the nation, and it's my responsibility to do what's best for the people of that nation. If I have to do this to serve those people, then yes, I'll do it." Azula stared at her. "Your uncle and I are still working on Zuko about the prison sentence. I'm sure he'll agree to drop it entirely. It may even be that he'll restore her title, once she's served her time here."

"If she even lives that long, which I doubt," Azula snapped, "she'll be a broken shell of a human being by that time. What the hell good will some title do her then?"

"It's not as if I like it," Mai said coldly. "You think I don't know what this is? But you of all people should know that being at the helm of this country means making a few sacrifices sometimes." Azula opened her mouth to retort, but Mai was faster. "I think we're done here. Guards, if you don't mind, escort Azula back to her quarters."

Eyes blazing, the former princess resisted. "If there really are gods," she snarled, "I hope they see this, and I hope you get yours!"

Mai's eyes were cold. "How many people do you suppose have said that about you over the years?" Azula's voice caught in her throat, and the young queen waved her hand with a smirk. "Get her out of here." The strong hands of the soldiers caught at Azula's thin arms and dragged her from the room.


	68. Chapter 68

When Azula had first returned from her meeting with Mai, she'd been unwilling or unable to say anything. She had slumped down in her armchair with her head in her hands. Ty Lee had tried in vain to find out what had happened, or to make her speak at all. After a while she had contented herself with kneeling down at the girl's feet and laying her head on her lap, gently caressing one of Azula's shins with her hand. After about twenty minutes of this, Azula had suddenly grasped Ty Lee by the arm and pulled her up and into her lap, still without speaking. Concerned and bewildered, the little acrobat had cuddled up against her silent lover and wrapped her arms around her neck.

They were still sitting that way. Ty Lee's head was snuggled into the crook of Azula's neck, her arms now resting loosely about the girl's skinny shoulders. She could feel the weight of Azula's head against her own. One of the former firebender's hands was gently rubbing her back. It had been a while since Ty Lee had last spoken. She decided to try again. Slipping her right hand down to rest against Azula's chest, she lightly kissed the soft skin of her throat. "What happened, baby?" she whispered. "Tell me. What did Mai tell you?"

To her relief, Azula responded. The former princess sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Ty. I just...thought for sure that Mai would help us, at least a little. And she..." Azula stopped. Ty Lee felt her shiver. "Tell me something. When I was a princess, I was really horrible, wasn't I?"

The acrobat's eyes widened a bit. She listened to Azula's heartbeat for a moment or two, moving her hand back and forth against the warm fabric of her shirt. "Well, sometimes," she admitted. "You did get sort of scary every now and then. I know I was a bit afraid of you...but people are supposed to be a bit afraid of princesses, right?"

Azula sighed heavily. Her head slumped down against Ty Lee's neck. "Maybe I really do deserve to be hanged."

Now Ty Lee was honestly alarmed. She sat up to take Azula's head between her hands, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "No, you don't," she said hotly. "You do not! Your brother was horrid to you, and you did something stupid, but you don't deserve to be executed. I don't care what he says. I don't care what Mai said!" The golden eyes lowered sadly. Ty Lee felt a lump rising in her throat. She caressed Azula's face. "What happened, 'Zula? Tell me. Did Mai say something mean to you?"

"Not really, no. I think this whole mess is just starting to get to me. And I suppose I'm worried about talking to my brother later." The former princess managed a thin smile. "I'm sorry. I'll be all right. Just...sit with me. All right?"

"Whatever you need, baby." Ty Lee kissed her softly and slid back down to her place, resting her ear on Azula's chest. The former firebender draped her arms loosely around her. They fell silent. Ty Lee closed her eyes, listening to the slow throb of her lover's heart, and the even slower sound of her breathing. She wondered what Azula was planning on saying to Zuko, and whether he would listen to her. She wondered, too, if Azula really could save them from anything – it didn't really seem as if even Aang could. The little acrobat sighed, and felt one of her lover's hands move up to stroke her hair.

They had only been sitting there for about another five minutes when the door burst open. Ty Lee looked up, startled, to find Toph standing on the threshold. The earthbender's face was flushed, and she looked furious – her milky eyes flashed dangerously. "Have you completely lost your mind, Fiery Britches?" she demanded. "What Iroh just told us had better not be true, or I'm going to kill you myself. Just what the hell are you thinking?"

Azula groaned. "For Agni's sake, can't I have some peace for ten minutes?"

"No. You can't. Now you can bloody explain yourself to us!" Toph snapped. Ty Lee's astonished eyes made out Aang and Katara standing behind the furious girl. She climbed off Azula's lap and stood shifting nervously as the former princess slowly rose to her feet. "Now spill it, Fruitcake. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know that it's really any of your business," Azula said tiredly.

Aang cleared his throat. His face, usually so open and cheerful, was grave. He was almost frowning, Ty Lee realized. "I think it is our business, Azula, since I'm supposed to be defending you in these negotiations," he said. "So how come we had to hear from Iroh that you told Zuko you were -"

With a speed remarkable in one with sore ankles, Azula darted to him and clapped a hand over his mouth. The room froze, and Ty Lee felt the tension level skyrocket. She could feel herself trembling. _What had Aang been about to say? _Slowly, the former princess lowered her hand again. "I am willing to talk about this," she said quietly. "Just not here, and not now. All right?"

Toph's head swiveled so that her ear was angled toward Ty Lee. Her blind eyes widened. "You...you haven't told her, have you? Ty Lee doesn't know a thing about this."

"No. I haven't. And if you don't mind, I'm not going to. Can we discuss this elsewhere?" Azula's voice hardened as she spoke.

Both Katara and Toph looked at Ty Lee. The little acrobat rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip. They seemed to expect her to say something. She glanced at Azula; the former princess was pointedly not meeting her gaze. Tears stung the little acrobat's eyes, but she refused to cast her lot anywhere but with her lover. "If...if Azula thinks I shouldn't know, then she must have a good reason for it," Ty Lee said bravely.

"Fine." Toph rolled her eyes dramatically and turned back to Azula, as Katara looked away in thinly-veiled disgust. "We'll take you somewhere else, Azula. But you'd better have a good explanation for this, you hear me?"

Azula looked so weary and sad as they began to usher her from the room that Ty Lee reacted. "Wait!" All of them paused, looking at her in surprise. Ty Lee scowled and thrust out her lip stubbornly. "Azula's tired. She's had a long morning, and she's still got to talk to the Fire Lord this afternoon. Why can't you just leave her alone until tomorrow, or something?"

"No. It's okay, Ty." Azula pulled her arm from Toph's grasp and moved to take Ty Lee's hands in her own. "It's okay," she said again, gently, leaning in to kiss her lightly on the lips. "I really should talk to them before I have to talk to Zuko, anyway. I can...I can rest later." Ty Lee's lip quivered. Azula pulled her into a firm embrace. "It's all right," she whispered into her ear. "Everything will be okay. Do you trust me, Ty?"

Ty Lee nodded against Azula's body. "Course I do."

"Then relax. I'll take care of things." The former princess kissed her cheek. "Hang in there." She pulled away. Ty Lee watched mournfully as they filed from the room, and the door closed.

Gone again.

With a deep sigh, Ty Lee went back to the armchair and draped herself across it. The cushions were still warm. She rested her head against the backrest and listened to the silence.

She fretted.

She squirmed around in the chair until she knocked a cushion off. Then she got up to retrieve it, tossed it back into its place, and flopped down on her belly on the bed.

She turned onto her back.

She thumped the pillows, piled them together, and turned onto her face again.

It had only been twenty minutes.

With a despairing groan, Ty Lee rolled onto her back and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes until she saw stars. She really hated this. She did trust Azula – she _did_ – but the hours of waiting helplessly and knowing nothing were awful. Especially now...the little acrobat let her arms fall flat against the bedspread and stared up at the ceiling. Her powers of observation weren't the best in the world, but she could see that Azula was almost in despair. Whatever had happened with Mai hadn't been good. They'd already failed to get General Iroh to help them. And they were very quickly running out of time.

What if...what if Azula couldn't defend them? What if Aang couldn't?

Then Azula would be executed. At about the same time, she herself would be turned over to the Earth Kingdom to start serving her sentence. And it would all be over.

Ty Lee couldn't stand it anymore. She sprang up from the bed and, moving to the middle of the floor, turned a handstand. Her balance and flexibility weren't quite what they had been prior to her breaking Azula out of jail, but they were still good. She lowered her legs behind, arching her back, until she felt her toes contact the carpet. Then, kicking lightly at the floor to gain leverage, Ty Lee flipped herself into the air and landed on her feet. She already felt better.

Several hours later, the little acrobat had trained herself into exhaustion, and Azula still hadn't returned. She asked at the door if a servant could be sent to draw her a hot bath. The servant came, the bath was drawn – still no Azula. Ty Lee took her bath, lingering as long as possible. Then she brushed her hair and dressed again. Still no Azula. A servant came to bring her supper. Ty Lee waited until the meal was nearly cold before eating it – still no Azula. Finally, just as the little acrobat was starting to think about falling asleep in the armchair, there came a knock at the door.

It wasn't Azula. Ty Lee's eyes rested instead on the solemn face of Toph. The young earthbender slipped into the room and stood quietly, her head turned slightly to one side. "Hey," she said quietly, holding up a sealed paper. "I'm afraid there's some bad news. But first, I've got something for you. It's from Azula."

"What happened?" Ty Lee's voice was sharp. She clenched both her fists as tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. "Why would she send me a note? Where is she? Is she hurt?"

In answer, Toph held out the paper and shook it lightly. "Read it," she said. Her voice was gentle. "I think Azula probably explains most of it in here." The gymnast didn't want to touch it. Her hands shook as she slowly forced herself to grasp the sealed letter. Sinking down at the table, Ty Lee tore through the wax and unfolded the paper, spreading it flat against the wood with her palms. She had to wipe her eyes a few times before she could start reading.

_Ty,_

_I told you I'd take care of things, and I have. Maybe I didn't do it properly. I don't know. Maybe I should have told you what I was going to do, but I just couldn't face you. I couldn't bear the thought of having to watch you cry. I'm sorry. Please know that I took every other option I could before taking this one, all right?_

_I asked Uncle if he'd defend you, and he wouldn't even try to get you off that twenty years. I asked Mai the same thing this morning. I even went down on my knees and begged her to help you. But politics being what they are, she wouldn't do it, either. Well, that and the fact that it was me asking, I suppose. I haven't exactly endeared myself to her. And then I talked to Zuko._

_We – Aang, Toph, Katara and I – really tried to make him see reason, Ty. We really did. Aang and Katara kept going off on some tangent about asking my brother not to have me hanged, which probably didn't help any, and which is why I would have preferred to talk to Zuko alone. But maybe it wouldn't have worked anyway, I don't know. To make a long story short, he refused to even consider asking the Earth King to have mercy on you. And yes, I actually did kneel down and plead with him. (Which is probably the most distasteful thing I've ever had to do.) But no – he wouldn't. So (please forgive me, Ty!) I had to play my trump card._

_I offered to surrender to him – no questions asked, no strings attached – if he would let you walk. Even then, he tried to bargain me down to just letting you serve the Earth Kingdom sentence. In the end, I won. We're both to spend the night locked up in Fire Nation custody. In the morning I'll be hanged, and then you'll be set free. He'll even allow you to be taken to the embassy tonight by Toph instead of his thug soldiers. I thought you'd like that better, especially given what some of those soldiers did to you._

_I'm sorry, Ty Lee. I know this will hurt you. But I couldn't let them destroy you the way they were going to. If it makes this any easier for you to bear, I would have been hanged, anyway. At least this way you go free._

_My wrist hurts, and Zuko's waiting to take me to my cell for the night, so I think that's all I can write for you, Ty. I suppose this is goodbye. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say it in person. Goodbye. Promise you'll live and be happy, Ty – that will make these last hours easier._

_I love you. I wish I could have said it more._

_Azula_

Ty Lee stared at the signature, written in Azula's shaky hand. Her fingers moved to touch the lines of ink, drifting slowly over the smooth surface of the paper. Her mind was blank. She couldn't seem to make sense of what she had just read. _Surrender. Cell. Sorry. Goodbye. Hanged. _Ty Lee's hands began to tremble.

_No._

A chair scraped against the floor, and Toph sat down across from her, leaning her elbows against the table. "You all right, Bubbles?" she asked quietly. Ty Lee couldn't even move. "Hey. You need a minute?" Silence. "We tried to talk her out of it. I called her every name in the book, but she's every bit as pigheaded as I am." Toph paused. "She must really care about you."

She was going to cry. Ty Lee wasn't sure when, but she could feel a certain quiver in the back of her throat and in the pit of her stomach. She inhaled. "We...have to stop it," she whispered. "I...I can't...just let her..."

The earthbender shook her head. "It's already a done deal. Zuko had a bunch of papers drawn up right there, and Azula signed them. He took her an hour ago." Ty Lee's knuckles whitened. Toph reached out and rested a hand on one of the little acrobat's clenched fists. "I'm supposed to take you over to the embassy so they can lock you up for the night," she said gently. "No one's laying a finger on you – I saw to that. I already tore a strip off Sparky for what they did to you last time." Ty Lee didn't move. "Do you want to go now, or do you still need some time?"

_Azula's there – somewhere. _Ty Lee shook her head and stood up mechanically, leaving the letter where it was. "No. Take...take me now." Her voice was a bare whisper.

"Okay." Toph's arm slipped into hers, supporting her a little as they walked. The gymnast's vision was blurry – she couldn't really tell why, until she put her hand to her face and felt the wetness on her cheeks. She was crying; or at least, her eyes were. The rest of her felt numb. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and let Toph lead her where she would.

They left the house. For the first time in days, Ty Lee breathed fresh air. There was no pleasure in it. She walked silently with her head down. Toph seemed to sense that she didn't want to talk, and said nothing. _She surrendered. Azula...surrendered. _Ty Lee stumbled over something, and the strong arm of the earthbender caught her. _She gave herself up. They're going to hang her in the morning. _The words still didn't seem real, somehow. The little acrobat stopped when they reached the Fire Nation embassy, and then went quietly with the soldiers when Toph turned her over to them. Her body seemed to act independent of her will. _In the morning, Azula dies. And I go free. _The cell door closed behind her. The linens of her prison cot were rough against her cheek. _I go...free._

The floodgates finally burst. Ty Lee pressed her face into her thin pillow and wept as if her heart would break.


	69. Chapter 69

They hadn't chained her wrists and ankles; there was only one long chain, the one that was fastened around her neck at one end and an iron ring in the floor at the other. Azula was grateful for this. Her arthritic joints didn't ache nearly as much in the absence of the shackles. It was one less thing that she had to suffer through. She wondered if this had been done by her brother's orders, or if she had some kindhearted guard to thank. Either way, it was good.

Her hawk eyes moved up to the small, barred window. It was nighttime now. The sky was an inky blue-black, and the stars glinted coldly down at her. She thought it must be at least nine o'clock. The sun would rise at five. She had about eight hours left to live.

Eight hours. It wasn't very long. Azula hugged her knees in an effort to keep warm. She didn't regret what she had done. It might have cost her the noose, but Ty Lee would go free. A smile softened her face at the thought. She could remember how happy Ty Lee had been at the circus, and even while she had served as one of Azula's two hand-picked personal assistants. The little acrobat would find her way in the world, now. She would find joy again. And that in itself was more than enough reason for Azula to go boldly to the gallows.

There came the sound of people approaching. Azula looked up in puzzlement as the door of her cell opened. A moment later, as it clanged shut again, the astonished prisoner was suddenly half bowled over with the force of a hug.

It was Ty Lee. The little acrobat was sobbing as the startled Azula put her arms around her. She looked up in time to see the long silhouette of Mai retreating down the hall – she understood. Her amber eyes lowered to the girl in her arms. "You stupid girl!" Ty Lee suddenly burst out, pummeling Azula's body with her fists at every word. "You stupid, stupid, _stupid _girl! How could you do something like this? How _could_ you?" The blows hurt, but Azula took them quietly. Then Ty Lee collapsed against her, melting into helpless tears. "Azula!"

"Shh." The prisoner cradled her gently. "Don't cry, Ty Lee. It's okay."

"Please, please tell me this is just a bad dream," the acrobat begged. "Tell me this is some sick joke. Azula, please..." Azula said nothing. Her white fingers moved tenderly through Ty Lee's hair. She could feel the gymnast's arms tightening around her. For several minutes, the only sound in the cell was Ty Lee's broken sobs. "Why?" The girl's voice was still half-strangled by tears. "Why, Azula?"

"Because it was the only way," the prisoner said quietly. "I would have died anyway, Ty. And my uncle wasn't willing to press Zuko much to have mercy on you. Even Aang and Mai couldn't get him to do it. Only I had all the cards that my brother wanted – so I played them." Ty Lee whimpered. Azula bent to press a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in the warm scent of her hair. It was comforting. The captive felt suddenly vulnerable. "Are you going to stay here with me?" she asked softly.

Ty Lee's grip on her tightened again. "Of course," she choked, her voice full of anguish. "I'll never leave you, 'Zula. I'll...I'll never leave you. Even when you leave me..."

The words went home like knives – Azula's face was wrung with pain. She clasped the brown head against her chest. "I'm sorry, Ty," she whispered. Her thin body shuddered in the acrobat's arms. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Please."

Pulling back, Ty Lee rose up to her knees. Her tears had stopped suddenly; her huge gray eyes were solemn. "No." The word was soft. Ty Lee reached out her hands to wipe away the rebellious tears that had forced themselves from Azula's eyes. "No, 'Zula. I'm the one who should be sorry. Here you are on death row, and I'm making you comfort _me._" She drew the prisoner into her arms again, this time pulling Azula's black head down to rest on her shoulder. "I won't be so selfish anymore."

"You've never been selfish in all your life," Azula muttered rebelliously. She heard Ty Lee give a halfhearted giggle. The little acrobat squirmed around so that she was sitting with her back to the stone wall of the cell. Azula lay against her with her eyes closed. The girl's warmth radiated into her; it felt good. She sighed, laying her hands against Ty Lee's shoulders. "I'm glad you're here," she said softly. "I was lonely." It was a staggering admission of weakness, one that Azula would never have made to anyone else.

"I'm here." The gymnast laid tiny kisses across the bridge of Azula's nose. "I'm here, 'Zula. What do you need me to do, baby? I'll do anything you want."

"Nothing. Just hold me. Talk to me." The former princess didn't open her eyes. The real world seemed far away. For just a few hours, she would try to forget the noose that awaited her in the morning. Her mind drifted back. "Do you remember that garden we used to play in when we were little?" she murmured. "The one with the pond. You know."

Ty Lee kissed her forehead. "Yeah."

"I loved that place." The prisoner sighed as she felt her lover's lips brush lightly over her closed eyelids. "I've never told anybody this, but...sometimes at night, I'd go there. I'd sneak out of my bed and sit by that pond and watch the moon." She rubbed her hand up and down the wiry muscles of Ty Lee's arm, as if to reassure herself that the girl was really there. "It helped me think."

Gently, Ty Lee kissed her way down Azula's cheek, then pressed her lips briefly against Azula's. The former princess could feel them trembling. Ty Lee's voice, though, was still steady. "What did you think about?"

"A lot of things. It depended on what was going on at the time, I suppose." Azula felt Ty Lee pull away a bit, before settling her arms more comfortably around her skinny shoulders. "I'd think about Mother sometimes, but that just made me angry. Or I'd try to understand things that Father had told me. A lot of the time, though, I'd just stare at the moon." She looked up into the little acrobat's face.

Ty Lee's gray eyes smiled sadly down at her. "Did you ever think about me?" she murmured, caressing Azula's cheek.

The captive laughed a bit. "No. I didn't," she admitted. "I was too stupid then to know that you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Good thing you got smarter." Ty Lee leaned down and captured Azula's lips with her own. It was a long, tender kiss. When it broke, the prisoner nestled herself down in Ty Lee's arms and closed her eyes again, sighing in contentment. They sat together in silence for a long time. "Azula?" The former princess murmured a vague answer. "When do you think you fell in love with me?"

"Sappy girl." Azula opened her eyes to favor her with a small smirk. Ty Lee pouted. "All right, all right. Fine. Put away the pouty lip of doom. Let's see...I think it first started when I woke up in a cage, chained down to the floor, and you were holding me and telling me I was going to be all right." There was a pause. "I don't think I really knew it until you kissed me on Ember Island, though."

The little acrobat smiled. It was a wavering smile, but it was more like her usual expression. "Neither did I," she admitted. "It just kind of suddenly happened. And then I was so afraid that you'd be angry and think I was a freak..."

"And then I used you, and made you feel like dirt, and forced you to do a whole lot of dangerous and very illegal things." Azula's voice was quiet and matter-of-fact. "I swear I don't know why you're still here sometimes." Ty Lee shook her head stoutly and gave Azula's forehead a stubborn kiss. "But now it's your turn, Ty. You can't just force me to answer that question, and then not answer it yourself."

"When did I fall in love with you?" Ty Lee blinked down at her in quiet perplexity. "I...don't really know, Azula. I think maybe I just always did."

They fell silent again. Ty Lee held the prisoner close. Every now and then she would drop a gentle kiss on Azula's face. The captive shut her eyes and savored every moment that she could. "You want to know something?" she murmured after a while. "I've been to the Spirit World. I already know where I'm going. And I know that Mother and Great-grandfather are waiting there for me. I know all of that, Ty. But I'm still afraid."

"Course you are." Ty Lee's voice was choked. "Of course you are, baby."

Azula's grip on her lover's arm tightened. "And I'm petrified that I'll do something stupid. I mean, I'm a child of Agni. They might have stripped me of every title I had, but I'm still the daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, of the line of Sozin...I don't want to dishonor my ancestors by...well, fainting, or bursting into tears, or something like that."

The little acrobat was sniffling. "You won't," she whispered, and Azula could hear the tears in her voice. "You're the strongest, bravest girl I know. I bet your ancestors would all be really proud of you, 'Zula." She kissed the captive's brow. "I love you. Gods, I love you so much..."

The bittersweet hours passed. They talked softly, and wept together, and clung to each other as if to ward off the coming day. Azula finally looked up at the barred window, and saw that the night sky was beginning to soften. She turned her head away from it and closed her eyes, pressing her forehead into Ty Lee's shoulder. "The sun's rising," she murmured. "They'll come for me soon." Ty Lee uttered a choked sob, hugging her close. "I want you to make me a promise, Ty."

"What?" The little acrobat's eyes were wet.

The prisoner reached up to cup her lover's face in her hands. "I want you to promise me that you'll go back to the circus," she said. "Promise that you'll go, and become the greatest acrobat in the world. And be happy, Ty. Maybe even meet somebody new, someday, and -"

"No. I won't promise that!" Ty Lee shook her head stubbornly. "I'll never love anybody but you, 'Zula. Never!"

Azula smiled and sighed. "All right. But promise me you'll go back to the circus. It was your calling, Ty, and I took it away from you. I want you to go back. Please, promise." Her thumbs lightly caressed Ty Lee's round cheeks.

"Okay. I promise. I'll go back." The gymnast was obviously trying hard not to cry. Azula was satisfied. She laid herself down again on Ty Lee's breast and rested there. _It was worth it. It was worth everything._

And then the heavy footsteps of soldiers echoed in the short hall. The captive suddenly felt a hard knot forming in her gut; she buried her face in Ty Lee's shirt front, and felt the girl's arms tighten around her thin body. A key turned in the lock, and rusty hinges creaked. "Lady Ty Lee, the Fire Lord has sent us to escort you to the observation room and prepare the prisoner. Please come with us."

With desperate tenderness, Ty Lee crushed her lips against Azula's. "I love you." She was weeping silently now. "I love you, 'Zula. I love you..."

"You don't have to watch," Azula whispered. "You don't, you know."

"Yes, I do. You won't go through that alone." Ty Lee sobbed a little. "I love you so much!"

One of the soldiers cleared his throat. Azula looked at them. There were four of them, their faces hidden behind the helms and visors of their armor. Each one carried a long halberd. She braced herself. Then, quietly, she kissed the little acrobat's cheek. "I love you, too." Her voice was barely audible. "Goodbye, Ty Lee. Thank you for everything." One of the soldiers stepped forward as Azula disengaged herself. He grasped Ty Lee firmly by the upper arm, drew her to her feet, and escorted her from the cell. Azula could hear the girl's soft sobs fading in the distance.

Now was the time for courage. The prisoner rose slowly to her feet, faced the remaining three soldiers, and raised her chin proudly. Two of them leveled their sharp halberds at her, while the third moved forward. He fumbled at her neck; the chain fell loose. Something was thrust into her hands. "Put this on, prisoner." Azula looked down. They had given her a prison tunic. In silence, she stripped off the shirt Ty Lee had given her in the cave and pulled the tunic over her head. It had an open collar that bared her neck and shoulders. The chain was replaced at her throat. "Turn around, and put your hands behind your back." Azula complied. She felt leather restraints tighten around her wrists. _Leather. They use those so my arms won't bleed if I struggle later. _The thought was cold and dispassionate. Shackles were fastened to her legs. Then the soldier bent to unfasten the other end of the chain that held her by the neck. Holding it like a leash, he led her from her cell. She felt the points of the other soldiers' spears brush lightly against her back as they followed.

It wasn't a long walk. The execution chamber lay at the opposite end of the hall to the door that led to the rest of the embassy. Azula concentrated on her breathing, trying to shut out her own growing fear. The door opened, and she was taken inside.

The chamber was a plain room, with walls and floor of stone. There was a small gallows set up in the middle of the floor. The soldiers guided their captive up the three steps that led to the platform. Azula could feel her body trembling as they stood her just behind the dangling noose. Looking through it, she saw that one wall of the chamber was formed of iron bars, separating it from another small room. There was her brother, his face stony, his arms folded over his chest. There was Mai, standing a few feet to his right, her narrow eyes resting on Azula impassively. Ty Lee was in Mai's arms, her tearstained face turned away.

A leather strap was passed around Azula's body and tightened, pinning her arms to her sides. The shackles were removed, and her ankles were bound together with restraints similar to the ones that held her wrists. One final strap was passed around her legs at the knees. Azula prayed silently as it was buckled in place. _Gods, don't let me faint. Please, please, don't let me faint._

And then the noose was pulled over her head and tightened. Terror shot through her like an electric shock. Azula could feel cold sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her face. Her eyes met Ty Lee's through the bars. For just a moment, Azula forced herself to smile faintly. Then a swath of black cloth was bound over her eyes and nose, blocking out the sight. She heard a winch turning, and the rope around her neck pulled tight. _Please. I'm only sixteen. _Azula bit down on her own tongue to keep from whimpering. Then there was silence.

The pause was almost unbearable. Azula knew, even though she couldn't see, that the executioner was watching for the signal from her brother. She gritted her teeth as the seconds stretched out. _Damn it, Zuko, just do it already! You bastard._

Without warning, the winch turned. The rope jerked taut, crushing her throat in a grip like a vise! She felt her feet leave the ground. The rope hurt – it hurt badly. Azula struggled, twisting in her bonds, but they held her firmly. Gone were any comforting thoughts of the Spirit World, or even of her mother. There was only terror, and the agony of being unable to draw air through her crushed throat. _Make it stop! Oh gods, no. Give me one more chance! _The merciless straps still held her arms behind her back. Azula's struggles grew weaker. She could feel her consciousness ebbing.

And suddenly she fell! Azula found herself down on the ground, her cheek pressed painfully against hard wood. Air rushed into starved lungs as her body twitched. Azula felt rough hands clawing at her neck, pulling the remnants of the noose away. Someone began to fumble at the strap that held her at the elbows. With a soft moan, Azula lost consciousness.


	70. Chapter 70

She was cold. Or at least most of her was; her legs and feet felt like ice. Her torso seemed to be supported by something warm, however, and her head was pressed against something both warm and soft. Azula lay still, trying to collect her scattered senses. Then she felt her face and hair being gently stroked, and the warmth beneath her shifted, revealing itself to be a body. Slowly, grimacing at the soreness of her neck, Azula opened her eyes a crack.

The familiar rotted beams of the ceiling of her cell met her gaze. Everything was blurry. Azula blinked a couple of times, and her vision cleared. It was Ty Lee who was holding her. The little acrobat was clasping her limp body to her chest, and was gently running one hand through Azula's hair. Her eyes were closed. As Azula watched, Ty Lee leaned her head back against the wall. She was obviously exhausted. The prisoner squinted. "Ty?" she whispered. Her voice cracked – it hurt to speak.

"'Zula! You're finally awake." Ty Lee's eyes flew open, and the black-haired girl felt the hand on her head grasp her tightly. "How do you feel?" The acrobat's gray eyes teared up as she smiled.

Azula considered the question. "Neck hurts. Talking...hurts." She gritted her teeth a bit as her throat protested the movement.

"Then don't talk. It's okay." Ty Lee bent to kiss Azula's mouth. Her lips felt warm. "You just rest, baby. It's been a long, hard couple of days for you. Just lie still. Let your Ty take care of you."

But Azula's mind was beginning to work. She could remember going to the gallows, and the painful pressure of the rope around her neck, and then falling...her brow creased. Haltingly, she groped for Ty Lee's hand. "What happened?" she whispered.

"I guess I'm still not really sure," Ty Lee admitted, stroking her cheek gently. "I mean, they were going through with it. They put you up there, in the noose...they..." The little acrobat shuddered. Her fingers slipped lower to caress the side of Azula's throat. It stung a little. Azula could feel that the skin of her neck was raw. "And all of a sudden, Mai just...snapped. I don't know what she was thinking. She whipped one of her daggers through the bars and nailed the rope that was hanging you in one shot. And you fell, and...well, there was a lot of shouting. The soldiers were doing some of it, I think, but it was mostly Zuko and Mai. And then you were being carried back to your cell, so I came with you." Ty Lee's grip on Azula's body tightened, and the gymnast bent to kiss her again. "I didn't want you to be alone and afraid when you woke up."

_Mai...Mai saved me? _Azula blinked groggily, trying to make sense of this. _Why would Mai do a thing like that? She hates me. And with good reason. Why...and why didn't Zuko just have them string me back up? What in Agni's name is going on? _"Are they going to hang me again?" she croaked. "And what about you? What about the deal-" Her throat protested, and she coughed.

"Shh." Ty Lee frowned down at her, laying her fingers against her lips. "I don't know, 'Zula. You know as much as I do right now." The fingers tapped firmly on Azula's mouth. "Now hush. You just got hanged an hour ago. Who knows what that did to your neck? Quit yapping and figuring and plotting, and try to relax for a minute." The prisoner scowled a bit, but she had to admit that Ty Lee was probably right. With a sigh, she turned her head so that her face rested against Ty Lee's shirt front. The little acrobat smiled and resumed her gentle stroking of Azula's hair.

The prisoner has just dozed off again when the metallic scraping of the cell door jolted her awake. She could vaguely remember not having been able to breathe sometime recently. Panic flooded her, and she tried to get up. "Who...what..? Let go of me!" Her voice rasped harshly.

"Relax. It's just Mai and Katara." The acrobat held her still – she fought. "Calm down. Lie back – it's okay. Katara's going to take a look at your neck, 'Zula. She's a healer, remember?" Ty Lee's gentle voice brought Azula back to reality. The former princess stopped struggling and lay back with a soft gasp. She could see Katara leaning over her. The waterbender's face was grave, but not unfriendly. Cool hands brushed over the rope burns on Azula's throat.

This was bizarre. Azula couldn't seem to make any sense of it. If Mai had defied the Fire Lord by saving his sister's neck, then why was she still free to bring Katara here? Could Zuko have changed his mind somehow? But then why was she still in jail? She squinted up at Katara in growing bewilderment. The dark-skinned young woman gave her a faint smile. "There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage," she said quietly. "You got lucky. I'd advise you not to do too much talking for a few days, but it should heal cleanly." Her fingertips brushed just beneath Azula's ear. "I think there's going to be some scarring, though."

Something wet and soothing was being smoothed over the raw skin. It felt good; Azula groaned as some of the pain and stiffness in her throat eased. She let her body go limp in the crook of Ty Lee's arm. As her head fell back, her eyes met those of Mai, who was watching the proceedings with her hands tucked neatly into her sleeves. The lean face of the empress was as inscrutable as ever. There was a pause. "Thanks," Azula said finally. Mai simply inclined her head. "Why?"

"There's an old saying about not looking a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth," the young queen remarked. "It just might apply here."

"Oh, Mai." Ty Lee shot her a wounded look. "It's a perfectly good question. And Azula isn't even supposed to talk. It's mean of you to tease her like that!"

"So who's teasing?" Mai shrugged impassively. She looked back down at the former princess. "The short answer is that I decided I don't hate you as much as I thought I did. But you won't get any longer answers from me until I've found out a few things first. You'll understand that, I hope." The ghost of a smile flickered across her pale lips. "My husband is being a bit less than forthcoming."

Ignoring Katara's displeasure, Azula spoke again. "What changed your mind?" she whispered.

"Your being as much of an idiot as Ty Lee, I suppose. It's a little out of character for you." Mai regarded her thoughtfully. "I never thought I'd see the day where you would actually do something indisputably stupid, Azula. And deliberately putting your head in the noose just to save Ty Lee a few years of hard work falls squarely into that category."

The little acrobat clasped Azula protectively. "I think what she did was beautiful," she said, thrusting out her lip defiantly. "And...and sweet, and noble, and...and..."

"- And incredibly stupid." As dry as Mai's voice was, Azula could see the faint gleam of amusement in her narrow eyes. _She's baiting Ty Lee, _she realized. _She's teasing her, just like she used to when we were kids. _"But yeah, sure. All that other stuff, too. I suppose the shock of seeing you do something unquestionably unselfish was too much for my delicate system, Azula."

The prisoner scowled. "Knock it off," she growled. Her voice still rasped. "I'm not in the mood."

"You asked the question," Mai pointed out. Then she seemed to relent. "You two are safe for the time being. Zuko and I had a discussion." From the tone of her voice, Azula guessed it had been more like one of their shouting matches. She remembered that Ty Lee had mentioned there having been shouting after Mai had cut the rope. "We're not out of the woods yet, but the Avatar seems willing to help, and Lady Bei Fong, as well. And possibly your uncle."

"My _uncle?" _Azula's eyes blazed. "He wouldn't help me before. He left me to _die, _without a-" The sound caught in her throat, and a fit of coughing cut off her bitter words.

Katara rose to her feet abruptly and turned to face the Fire Lady. "With all due respect, Fire Lady Mai, my patient needs to rest," she said impatiently. "Maybe you two could have your heated discussions some other time."

"Well, there you go. Doctor's orders." The young queen shrugged one shoulder and smirked. "Sounds like you should take it easy for a while, Azula. I'll have some things sent to make this room a bit less...inhospitable." She paused. "Ty Lee, could I talk to you for a minute?" The little acrobat looked surprised, but nodded and carefully laid Azula down on the floor.

The waterbender leaned over Azula and examined her throat again as Mai and Ty Lee spoke in low voices. "I meant it about the talking," Katara remarked. "You could do permanent damage to your voice if you don't rest it for a day or two." Still frowning, Azula nodded and looked away. "You know," the girl went on quietly, dabbing more salve on the rope burns, "what you did took a lot of courage. I can respect that." Surprised and uncertain, the prisoner looked up at her. Katara nodded with a grave smile. "I still don't exactly _trust_ you, you understand. I don't know if I ever will. But I think I can see what Aang meant when he said there was more to you than meets the eye."

"Thanks. I think." Azula averted her gaze again, acutely uncomfortable. To her relief, Katara didn't say anything more in that vein.

Ty Lee soon returned. The tearful smile on her face told Azula that, whatever the rift in her friendship with Mai had been, it had been resolved. She sat down and immediately drew Azula's unresisting form back into her arms. "Can't let you just lie on the stone floor, 'Zula," she murmured as the cell door closed behind their guests. "You could catch cold."

"The gods forbid," Azula said drily.

"Hush!" Ty Lee put her hand firmly over her lover's mouth. "No more talking. You heard what Katara said. Don't make me chi-block your jaw." Azula didn't quite know whether to scowl or laugh. In the end, she simply shrugged, sighed, and lay back in the gymnast's arms.

Less than an hour later, servants appeared, bearing the gifts from Mai: a mattress, large enough for both of them, with a thick blanket; a warm change of clothes for Azula; and bowls of thick, savory soup. The girls ate quietly and lay down to sleep. _Safe, for the time being, _Mai had said. Azula laid her head down on Ty Lee's accommodating shoulder and closed her eyes. _Maybe, for the time being – it's enough._


	71. Chapter 71

_I'm still alive, _was the first thought that flitted through Azula's mind as she woke. Although her rational mind wondered whether this was really a good thing given her situation, she still couldn't help but feel a rush of gratitude. She was lying on her back, and could feel that Ty Lee had insinuated herself partly on top of her. The welcome weight of her head pressed down on Azula's chest. The former princess very slowly lifted her left arm – her right was trapped beneath the acrobat's body – to clasp the brown head against her breast. The gratitude grew. She remembered her last, desperate moments in the noose, and her silent plea to the gods. Had the spirits heard her? Or had it only been a coincidence that Mai had decided to save her just seconds after her prayer? It didn't matter, she decided, gazing down at the little gymnast's sleeping face. Either way, she'd been given a second chance, just as she had asked.

_A second chance._

She lay very still, studying Ty Lee's face. She'd done this before, of course. She'd done it with great fervor the morning before, knowing that she was probably going to be hanged soon. But Azula didn't think she'd ever savored it this much before. Her gaze slid lower, to the girl's shoulder, which was rising and falling with each slow breath. Then her eye traveled to the hand that lay near the brown head, curled up like an infant's into a soft fist. Azula slowly moved her hand down to unfold the little acrobat's fingers and weave them into her own. Ty Lee's palm felt warm against hers. Azula savored that, too. She drew the hand up to her mouth and very softly kissed the tip of each finger.

When Azula had finished this little operation, she looked down to find Ty Lee's sleepy gray eyes resting on her. She smiled a bit and, spreading apart the fingers, placed another kiss on the acrobat's palm. Ty Lee stirred, yawned widely, and pulled herself up a bit. "Can I play, too?" she murmured, nuzzling at Azula's jawline. The former princess just smiled and drew the hand higher so she could press her lips to the inside of Ty Lee's wrist. Then she abandoned the arm entirely in favor of cupping the little acrobat's face in her hands. Ty Lee smiled back at her.

Azula couldn't decide if she liked gazing at her lover better when she was awake or asleep. - Perhaps awake, now that she thought about it, if only because then Ty Lee could reciprocate. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" she whispered. Talking didn't hurt nearly as much as it had before they had gone to bed.

"No," Ty Lee said quietly.

It was true. Azula didn't think she ever had. She frowned a bit. She'd thought it a lot – she'd _meant_ to say it, eventually. It was, in retrospect, an abominable oversight on her part. Her eyes awkwardly met Ty Lee's gray ones. "Well, you are," she said gruffly.

The little acrobat laughed softly, pushing down to kiss her. "Why, thank you, your highness," she crooned. "You're not so bad to look at, yourself." Azula thought she sensed some gentle mockery going on. She scowled, just for a moment. Then she sighed, shrugged one shoulder, and accepted the kisses that Ty Lee was lavishing on her.

Echoing footsteps in the hall interrupted them. Adrenaline shot through Azula's veins; she sprang up from the bed, facing the cell door with wary eyes. A moment later, Mai appeared in the hall. She paused in the act of sliding a key into the lock, raising a brow at Azula. The former princess looked down at herself, suddenly realizing that she had instinctively dropped into a firebending form. Heat flooded her face; she slowly moved out of the stance, letting her hands fall and straightening her back. Mai didn't comment – the door swung open. "Good evening," she said calmly. "You two got at least some sleep, I hope?"

"We slept well," Azula said, a little stiffly. Her voice was still hoarse. "Thank you."

The young queen looked down at Ty Lee, who was still sitting on the mattress. "Zuko's coming down in a few minutes to talk to Azula in private, so I'm supposed to get you out of the way," she said. "You up for a walk, Ty Lee?" The little acrobat shrugged uncertainly. "Come on. We'll...oh, I don't know. I'll watch you turn cartwheels upstairs, or something." Ty Lee bit her lip, and Mai sighed, glancing at Azula. "I'll bring you right back when he's finished, all right? I promise."

"Go with her, Ty." Azula looked at her quietly. "It's okay." The little acrobat lowered her head. Then, without a word, she got up. She paused as she passed Azula to kiss her gently on the cheek; then she went. Mai nodded at Azula just before she left. The cell door closed. Azula was alone.

The captive moved over to the mattress and sat down on it, leaning her back against the cold stone wall. She wondered what her brother was going to say to her. The last time she'd seen him – barring when he had watched her near-execution, of course – he had been cold. "Good night, Azula," he'd said. "Make your peace with the gods tonight. Your time's run out."

She had looked up at him with equal coolness. "Will you at least let me be cremated and put me to rest with our ancestors, my lord brother? Or do you intend to dump me here, like some Earth Kingdom peasant girl?"

Zuko had turned away. "It's more than you deserve," he'd muttered, "but I'll see that your ashes are placed in the family tomb, Azula."

Well, at least he had made _that_ concession. Azula's lips curved into a wry smile. What did he want with her now, she wondered? And what would she say to him, come to think of it? The final negotiation, the one in which she had surrendered to him, had not been exactly friendly. She'd made some attempt to apologize for some things, but it hadn't been well received. When that had failed, she had actually taken her tongue between her teeth and bowed down to him before pleading with him to let Ty Lee go. Zuko had refused. He had _enjoyed_ refusing – she could see it in his face. He was going to make Ty Lee suffer, just to make _her_ suffer. With great bitterness, Azula had finally played her last card, offering herself freely to him if he would let her lover go. And even that had taken some pretty intense debate.

There was certainly no love lost between Azula and her older brother.

There were footsteps approaching. The captive made no move to get up. She watched with cool eyes as Zuko appeared, flanked by two guards, and followed by the willowy form of Katara. This made Azula's brows rise. _What have you got in mind now, older brother mine? _The door opened; the waterbender entered first, followed by the Fire Lord. Azula looked up suspiciously as Katara moved toward her. "I'm just going to see if I can heal your throat a bit more," the dark-skinned girl said quietly. "I told your brother that you shouldn't be speaking at all." Azula glanced coldly at Zuko, who said nothing. Then she nodded and shrugged. Katara pushed a cup into her hands. "Drink," she ordered. "It'll help." The prisoner obeyed. The draught was slightly bitter, and tasted of honey. Katara then placed her fingers gently against the bruised and crushed flesh of Azula's neck, probing carefully. The former princess felt some of the ache fading.

After a while, Katara dropped her hands. Zuko coughed a bit. "Are you done?" The waterbender glanced at him, her lips tightening, and nodded curtly. "Good. Thank you, Katara. Now, if my sister and I may speak alone?"

"If you insist." The girl shot him a dark look, but said nothing more. She left the cell; her footsteps retreated up the short hall.

There was a long silence as brother and sister sized each other up. Azula's lip curled slightly as she glared at him. Beneath his mask of cold anger, she could detect uncertainty – indecision. She decided to exploit this by getting in the first blow. "I held up my end of our bargain," she said, her tone biting. "I went to the gallows. I hope you're not here to tell me you're going back on yours, my lord brother."

"No." His golden eyes flickered. "Ty Lee's free. She's been free since you were hanged. She's just insisted on staying with you, for whatever reason." There was a pause as Azula processed this information. She frowned, looking down at the floor. Ty Lee had told her nothing about this. "When we chased down that ferry, I felt sorry for you." Her brother wasn't looking at her. "I pitied you, but I told myself you were too much of a threat for me to spare you." He paused; she said nothing. "And when you were standing there in the noose, I could see that you were afraid. I pitied you then, too. But again, I told myself that you were a threat to my throne and to my country, and I told them to hang you." There was another pause. "I think I was deluding myself. I was trying so hard to find all these legitimate reasons to have you executed, and I found them. But the truth is that I think I would have done it anyway."

Azula sat back and folded her arms, regarding him through half-closed eyes. "This isn't exactly news to me, Zuko."

He ignored her. "I wanted you dead." His fists clenched. "I wanted you put away for good, so that I wouldn't have to look at you – wouldn't have to be reminded of what I came out of. All I could see when I looked at you was Father. You parroted him. Your words were his." She raised a brow. "I wanted to crush that."

"Enlightening," she said coldly. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything." Zuko glanced at Azula briefly. "When you were...up there, on that gallows...I suddenly didn't see him anymore. I saw...I saw Mother." He scowled down at the floor. "I told them to hang you anyway. It was a mind trick, I thought – just some last-minute anxiety making me see things. I mean, you've _always_ looked a lot like her. But I couldn't watch...and then Mai cut you down. I was so angry I could have had her marched to the gallows, too, but...she said something that made me think."

There was yet another pause. Azula sighed and put her head on one side. "Fine. I'll bite. What did she say, big brother?"

"She said that there had to be a way to serve our country and lead our people without sacrificing our own humanity." He was clenching and unclenching his fists. "My own sister went down on her knees and begged me for mercy, and I sent her to the gallows anyway. I'm...I'm just like Father."

Azula rolled her eyes. "No, you're not. If you were, I'd have been dead long ago." _For Agni's sake, Azula, don't call him incompetent to his face. You've got a chance to save your own life, here. _She sighed, meeting his gaze. "What exactly do you want, Zuko? Why are you here?"

"I don't know. I wanted answers." He scowled in frustration. "Why was I suddenly seeing Mother in you? And why...why would you surrender yourself to me just so Ty Lee could stay out of prison? It's not like you. And how are you sitting here looking at me like a perfectly normal human being, when you were a howling animal less than two months ago? And what am I supposed to _do_ with you?"

She blinked. "I can't tell you why you're seeing things," she said calmly. "I have enough trouble with that myself. And I surrendered so that you wouldn't hurt Ty Lee – it should be obvious why, even for _you. _As to why I'm saner than I used to be, I suppose I have to thank the Avatar and his waterbender for that...and Ty. I don't really know. Something to do with dual natures and two bloodlines, or something. I imagine you've heard that spiel already."

Zuko looked hesitant. "Yes. I have. You...saw the dragons?" Azula looked at him strangely. "You know – the blue and the red...oh, never mind." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Aang said you've seen Avatar Roku. - Our great-grandfather."

The captive scrutinized him for a moment, weighing her options. "Yes," she said finally. "I did meet with Great-grandfather. And Mother, too."

This gave him pause. His golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Aang never mentioned that."

"The Avatar wasn't there. He took me into the Spirit World the first time, where I talked with Great-grandfather Roku. Great-grandfather came again, later, and brought me back into the Spirit World to talk to Mother. I went back a third time myself to talk to her again." Azula's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. "I only told Ty Lee and Uncle Iroh."

"Right. And I suppose Mother gave you some message for me, or something." Zuko's brows lowered, but Azula could see the half-hope that lurked in his eyes.

"No. She didn't, actually," Azula said quietly. "She did mention that she thought both of us ought to be spanked, if that makes you feet any better. I suppose I could ask her if she has anything to tell you the next time I go." There was another pause. "So can we get back on topic? I love suspense just as much as anybody else, big brother, but I really would like to know if you're still set on having me put to death." She raised a brow. "If you are, may I request a beheading? I'm not keen to repeat this morning's adventures."

"I don't know," he muttered. "You're...you're dangerous..."

"Oh, please, Zuzu. Do come off it." Azula's voice was full of disgust. "How much of a threat to your all-important precious throne am I, really? I'm crippled, both in my hands and my feet. I can't firebend. Any support I might have had at one point has long since dried up. Even the ones who might have backed me won't do it now – I'm a lame turtleduck, almost literally. I'm not so sure I'm completely sane yet. And after all that time in prison and whatnot, I'm skinny enough that you could probably snap my neck yourself with your bare hands. Pull your head out of the sand and look at me, will you?" Zuko gazed at her in silence. "So tell me. Am I still on death row, my lord brother?"

He looked away. "No," he said quietly. "I'm going to spare your life, Azula." There was a dead silence. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you now, though. That's what I have to decide. Maybe I'll turn you over to the Earth Kingdom to serve that twenty years. I don't know yet." Azula merely stared at him, stunned into speechlessness. Zuko sighed and turned away. "That's all I have to say to you, Azula. I'll let you know when I've come to a decision." She managed a nod. Her hawk eyes followed him as he made his way from her cell, once again flanked by his guards. Silence fell.

For some time, Azula stayed where she was, staring into space. _I'm going to live. He's...he's not going to execute me. _As much as she had hoped for this, she was almost bewildered now that it had happened. She'd almost grown used to the cloud of death that had hovered over her for so many weeks. _Twenty years of hard labor...but how could I even do that, if my hands and feet don't work properly anymore? And what would happen to Ty Lee? She'll try to follow me._

Her thoughts were broken as Mai and Ty Lee returned. Azula shut her eyes as her lover once again clasped her to her bosom. "I'm not going to die, Ty Lee," she whispered. "I'm not going to die..."


	72. Chapter 72

Mai glanced out the window and paused to reflect for a moment. It was Thursday, and so she was writing her regular weekly letter to her mother. She'd never been quite able to figure out why her mother insisted on weekly updates, given that normally things didn't really change much in just a week, but she was nothing if not a dutiful daughter. And so – Thursdays were letter-writing days. She'd already laid out everything she'd need on the desk before her. It was now just a matter of writing it.

Right. So now she would write it.

With careful precision, she dipped her brush into the ink and began to write in her own neat script.

_Dear Mother,_

_I'm still here with Zuko in Gaoling. We finally have his sister in custody. He'd planned to have her executed, but he seems to be thinking better of it now. He's talking about going to Ba Sing Se in a couple of days to discuss matters with the Earth King, so I guess I get to go back there yet again. I suppose I ought to be enthralled, what with the reputedly impressive walls and everything. But really, if you see one wall, you've seen them all._

Mai paused, reading over what she had just written. Her lips curved a little. She certainly knew much more than what she was telling her dear parents. And the thought of going back to Ba Sing Se was interesting. The Earth King was polite and genteel in all his dealings with them – she had no concerns about him. The Dai Li, however...they were still an enigma. And they bore something of a grudge against Azula, who had first used them to engineer the takeover of Ba Sing Se and then thrown them out of the Fire Nation, calling them traitors. There was a reason that it had been _former_ Dai Li agents that Azula had utilized in her little scheme against Zuko, and not _current_ ones.

She didn't know exactly what Zuko had in mind for Azula now, but Mai wondered if it didn't have something to do with the Dai Li.

The brush dipped back into the ink. _It will be somewhat interesting to see the Earth King interact with the new Fire Lord on his own turf, though. I've only seen him once since that official trip at the end of the war, and that was during that journey I made to see you and Father in the spring. Which reminds me – have you and Father decided yet whether to send Tom-Tom to school in the Fire Nation when he's old enough? Earth Kingdom schools are fine, I suppose, and I know the Fire Nation has set up some sort of system in our colonies. But nothing is quite so good as the Fire Nation Academy for Boys in the capital, you know. Over a thousand years of history behind it, and the best teachers in the nation. But I'm sure you remember all that. You said it to me enough times. And maybe then Tom-Tom could visit me in the palace sometimes._

Again with the subtext. Mai smirked. She knew well enough that her parents had every intention of sending her younger brother to the Academy. But her mother had broadly hinted in her last letter that she would like a more personal invitation for him to come to the palace, once he was old enough. It wouldn't be quite proper for them to make plans for something like that without that invitation, even if the Fire Lady _was_ their daughter. Well, now her parents could make their long-range plans with impunity. She just hoped they didn't expect her to do the work of finding him a wife later.

Actually, come to think of it, she was rather surprised that they hadn't done that already. After all, they'd had _her_ married off before her second birthday.

_We'll be taking Ty Lee with us, since she insists on staying with Azula. You would think she'd had more than enough of her by now. Although really I would think that Azula would have had enough of the bouncy bubbles by now, too. Maybe Ty Lee is mellowing out a bit. I can only hope. She's a reasonably well-bred young lady, but she has no concept of personal space. It never fails to amaze me how reserved her parents and her sisters are._

Mai paused again. She was thinking of how Ty Lee had sobbed in her arms as Azula was prepared for her hanging. As cold a face as Mai usually turned to the world, she really did care about the little acrobat, and the sounds of her grief had torn at her heart. The young queen had been deeply shaken, too, by the fact that Azula had actually gone through with it. She had expected the former princess's offer to be a ruse, made in order to draw her brother into some discussion or other, It hadn't hit Mai how much Azula had truly _meant_ it until she saw the girl standing there on the gallows with the rope around her neck. Then it had really dawned on her that the former Fire Princess had changed, that she truly did love Ty Lee, and that she and Zuko were about to kill Azula for reasons that maybe weren't as solid as they had seemed. She had agonized for a while, torn between conflicting loyalties, before finally slinging one of her ever-present knives through the rope that was choking Azula to death.

Strangely enough, she didn't regret it. Mai shook her head at her own fickleness. She had spent weeks thinking – and saying, too – that Azula deserved to die. She'd even once said that she would willingly kill the escaped convict herself. And then, when Azula was finally being executed, Mai had just plain snapped. It was amazing, in hindsight, that Zuko hadn't thrown her into prison for what she'd done. But she had finally been able to get through to him, against all odds.

So the question remained – were she and Zuko now trapped in a loveless marriage? Mai frowned out the window. That was a question that really only time would be able to answer. She still refused to let him touch her. Even the thought of it made her want to beat him; the memory of the endless hours of interrogation and weariness and starvation was still too fresh. Not to mention the memory of Ty Lee's helpless, broken body. Mai's hand clenched at the thought.

But those things, of course, weren't for a letter to mother.

Mai sighed as she dipped her brush and began the third paragraph. She hadn't much interest in discussing clothes, unlike most courtiers her age, but her mother expected it. _My husband provided me with a budget to supplement my wardrobe with Earth Kingdom gowns, and insisted that I buy them, despite the fact that I despise green – and dresses. So now I have five dresses in various shades of that ghastly color. They're all right, I suppose. I much prefer Fire Nation silks to these heavy Earth Kingdom fabrics and brocades, even though I know that silk isn't anywhere near warm enough to wear here for over half the year. _Mai rubbed her eyes. Her mother would expect descriptions. Her calligraphy brush dutifully dipped and wrote. _One is in the Gaoling style, with a high waist and a long skirt. You've seen these, I'm sure. It's a pale green. I think it makes my legs look freakishly long, but Zuko likes it, so I imagine it's going to stay for a while. And if he likes his wife to look like she's on stilts, then who am I to complain? One is in the style that's popular in Omashu. I'm sure I don't need to describe that to you, given that you and Father still live in New Ursa, just down the road from there. It's a darker green. Two are more like what the high-class ladies wear in Ba Sing Se. I still think the things look like what we wear to the baths in the Fire Nation, but I suppose they're not so bad. One of them is even a dark enough green that it's nearly black. I think I'll try to wear that one as much as possible._

_The fifth outfit is more the kind that you'll want to hear about, I think, Mother. It's the one Zuko had made for me to wear when we meet with King Kuei. It's somewhat in the style of the Ba Sing Se gowns, but he had it tailored like the robes and trousers that I usually wear. It's still in shades of green, but I think it strikes the right chord; Zuko wanted it to be some kind of statement about harmony between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. His own robes – which I haven't actually seen yet – are evidently the same sort of thing. And I'll get to wear Fire Nation-style shoes with it, which makes me very happy. These hideous sandals they wear here in Gaoling irritate me._

So much for the clothing paragraphs. Mai finished them with some relief. Her thoughts drifted again to Ba Sing Se, and to Zuko's cryptic comments about the trip. He was going to do some actual political work, of course, but he had also made it clear that his main reason for going there was to arrange something for Azula. He no longer intended to have her put to death, so she didn't think he would simply hand her over to be beheaded in the city square. There was that twenty-year sentence of hard labor, of course. Mai severely doubted that Azula would be capable of any kind of hard physical work, though. Even without the girl's crippling arthritis, she was frail and sickly enough that a few weeks of slave labor would probably kill her. What, she wondered, did her husband have in mind?

Well, no sense racking her brain over that. She simply didn't have enough information to answer that question yet. And besides, she needed to get this letter over with so that she could get on with her life – at least until next Thursday. Mai dripped out a bit of water, rubbed her inkstone vigorously, and dipped her brush neatly into the resulting ink. _If all goes as planned, Zuko and I should be on a balloon back to the Fire Nation within a week, so I'm afraid I won't be able to make a quick trip to New Ursa to see you like I had intended. Things have simply been too hectic to allow me to slip away. _And also, Mai had been in prison. But she certainly wasn't going to share that particular nugget of information. The young queen's lips curved into a sardonic smile. _We shall have to make do with letters until the spring. But perhaps then you and Father can come to the Fire Nation for a visit? It's been a while since you've been back to the homeland, hasn't it? I'm sure you'd like to see the improvements Zuko's made to the palace since you were last there. He's added a whole new wing for the servants' quarters, and had a new garden planted in the square where they used to hold Agni Kais. I'll hold a tea party for the noblewomen of the capital if you come. I remember that you like that sort of thing._

Ugh – tea parties. Mai shivered. She disliked them intensely, as they usually degenerated into long and cheerful discussions about husbands and dresses and beauty regimens, topics in which she herself had little real interest. They were a necessity for the queen of the Fire Nation, however, and she held them as she was expected to do. She did gain valuable insights into some of the ladies sometimes, though, she had to admit. - Which was probably why they were given, really. But she did sometimes wish that she could try to gather those insights during a friendly sparring session, or something like that, rather than while sipping tea and trying to look interested in Lady Chung's endless prattling about her prize lotus blossoms.

_Oh, I forgot to mention before that Ty Lee has been pardoned, and her title has been restored. You'll be glad to know that, I'm sure. Zuko apparently decided that what she's done didn't merit any further punishment. _Or at least, that was going to be the official story. Mai wasn't about to mention the ugly scars that Ty Lee would bear for the rest of her life. _She's considering staying here in the Earth Kingdom with Azula. You know how we both served her when she was the Fire Princess – I think Ty Lee's loyalty runs very deep. It's touching, in a way. Incredibly stupid, in another. Which pretty much describes Ty Lee herself, now that I think about it. _Mai's lips twitched into an affectionate smile. _It's a good thing that she comes from such an established and respected bloodline. I don't know how that girl would have survived until now if she hadn't. Can you imagine if Ty Lee had been born to one of those upstart noble houses, like the Chans? She'd have been quietly married off to some fishmonger and forgotten about years ago._

_I believe that's all I have to tell you this week, Mother. _And praise Agni for that. The young queen rolled her eyes at the unresponsive page. _Hopefully we can see each other in a few months, and you can see for yourself how things are going in the capital. _Yes, what with the loveless marriages, and so on. Although her mother would already be rather familiar with _that_ kind of thing. _Please tell Father that Zuko looks forward to discussing the politics of the colonies with him. You know how the Fire Lord likes to get personally involved in the relations of the Fire Nation to the other nations. Give my regards to the relatives, particularly cousin Lobsang. And tell Tom-Tom that I said hello. (He is talking now, isn't he? You should bring him with you if you come to the Fire Nation. I ought to be doing my duty as his older sister by getting to know him, don't you think?)_

_I look forward to hearing from you._

_Your daughter,_

_Fire Lady Mai_

The young noblewoman neatly folded the letter, dripped wax on it, and pressed her signet ring into the warm seal. She gazed down at the impression it had left, rubbing one fingertip absently over the royal dragon symbol. Her mind drifted back to the heated moments just after she had saved Azula's life. She and Zuko had clashed bitterly over it, snarling at each other in mutual fury. She could remember what she had said at one point, the phrase that seemed to finally get through to him. "Damn it, Zuko," she'd snapped, "there has to be a way for us to rule our nation and serve our people without sacrificing our own humanity!" That was when she'd seen the change come into his blazing amber eyes.

She had, of course, been guilty of that herself. She'd known that Ty Lee wasn't really deserving of everything that Zuko had piled on her, but she hadn't made a true effort to save the girl. Of course she had drawn the line at torture! But she had been willing to let the little acrobat be sentenced to two decades of grueling slave labor, simply as an easy political shortcut. And Azula, of all people, had called her on that. The irony of this wasn't lost on the young queen.

Mai inhaled deeply. She and her husband had nearly made a colossal mistake, but there was still time for them to change things. They had vowed together to have a reign marked by justice and mercy, and she intended to honor that vow, however difficult the twisted politics of the Fire Nation might make it. Her mouth tightened into a determined line. Calmly, she rose from her seat and went to mail her letter.


	73. Chapter 73

Azula sat silently in her chair, waiting. It was something she'd grown rather used to doing in the past few days. She'd waited in prison until her brother had informed her that they were going to Ba Sing Se. She had quietly asked him why, and he had just as quietly replied that he was going to discuss her fate with the Earth King, Kuei. He'd refused to tell her more than that.

There had followed four days of travel in an ostrich-horse-drawn coach. She and Ty Lee had been placed in their own carriage, which had been flanked at all times by a contingent of Fire Nation soldiers. Zuko had allowed Azula to go unbound as long as she agreed to behave herself. She'd been the very model of good behavior, if not so much of good attitude. Ty Lee had kept her more or less in line during the trip, which had been long and uneventful. The little acrobat, normally a bundle of energy and perpetual motion, had a way of going into something like hibernation when she needed to; she'd spent their last day of travel mostly in sleep, leaning against Azula's shoulder. The former princess hadn't really minded. She was still glad enough just to be alive that she could put up with some annoyances.

The prisoner glanced up at one of her silent guards. There were four of them – stoic Dai Li agents, all. Her brother had turned her over to Earth Kingdom custody almost immediately when they had reached Ba Sing Se. The Dai Li had taken charge of her at once. None of them had spoken to her yet, other than to give her curt orders when necessary, but they hadn't treated her cruelly. She'd been given a modest room in the servants' quarters of the palace to sleep in the night before, and they had fed her well. Azula missed Ty Lee, though. She hadn't seen the girl since Zuko had turned her over to the Dai Li the afternoon before.

It had been well over an hour since these four silent agents had taken Azula from her room and brought her to the hall outside the throne room. She had to resist the urge to swing her legs and fidget; they had provided her with a chair, but it wasn't made for someone as petite as she was, and her feet just barely reached the floor. The combination of tension and boredom was beginning to make her fretful. Azula knew well enough that she was about to be sentenced to _something,_ although what, she didn't know. She knew, too, that her brother had something different in mind than the twenty-one years of slave labor that had been discussed before. Other than that, she had no idea what was about to happen to her. For all she knew, these might be her last moments of (comparative) freedom. She might be minutes away from being chained up in some Earth Kingdom dungeon – or, far worse, turned over to the Dai Li completely, to be imprisoned in some labyrinthine complex and brainwashed into...well, into something else. - Maybe like a Joo Dee? Azula shuddered at the thought. She hoped that even a vengeful Zuko wouldn't be that cruel. Her mind drifted back to her former dealings with the Dai Li. _There is no war in Ba Sing Se..._

...Oh, _why_ could they just not get this over with? This was almost as bad as when she had waited for Zuko to give the signal for her to be hanged.

The throne room door opened a crack. Azula didn't hear any exchange of words, but some kind of signal must have been given. The strong hands of the Dai Li agents clamped onto her shoulders and plucked her lightly to her feet. They grasped her wrists from opposite sides, drawing them behind her back and pinning them there, without releasing their grip on her shoulders. This was standard Dai Li practice, she mused. They'd held her like this when she had let them "capture" her, back when she had been engineering the Fire Nation's taking of the city. It seemed like that had been centuries ago. Azula walked quietly between the Dai Li agents as they marched her into the throne room. The other two glided behind as silently as ghosts.

It was still the same place. Nothing had changed since she, Mai and Ty Lee had staged their coup. King Kuei sat calmly on his throne, flanked on one side by the new leader of the Dai Li, and on the other by his dratted bear. Azula eyed it morosely as she was escorted toward the throne. Her brother stood to the right, his arms folded over his chest. Mai stood beside him, resplendent in some intricately-tailored green garment. Both were wearing the elaborate flame-shaped hairpins that marked them as the rulers of the Fire Nation. To their left, slightly behind them, Ty Lee was kneeling quietly in the shadows. The shadow of a sad smile flickered over her lips as her eyes met Azula's. The prisoner managed to return it for one brief moment before her guards suddenly stopped and pushed down hard on her shoulders. Azula obeyed the silent order, dropping to her knees. Their hands released her, and she bowed down to the floor before the Earth King, swallowing her bitterness at having to do so with some difficulty. There was a pause of about ten seconds. Then the genteel voice of King Kuei came to her ears. "You may rise, prisoner." Slowly, Azula rose to her knees, lifting her gaze again.

The serene jade eyes of the Earth King were resting on her curiously, peering over the rims of his gold-rimmed spectacles. "Greetings, Azula," he said. "It's been some time since I last had the pleasure of seeing you. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, my lord." The right phrases came to Azula's mind without effort; she spoke them quietly, more because they were supposed to be said than because she meant them. "Thank you for your benevolence."

King Kuei inclined his head courteously. "You know that you are now in the custody of my kingdom, do you not, Azula?" he went on. She nodded silently. "As you've no doubt been told, the penalty for a foreign civilian who kills an Earth Kingdom soldier is seven years of hard labor according to our laws, and you evidently killed three. That would normally add up to twenty-one years in a labor camp." Azula nodded again, dully. She wished he would just get to the point. "Your brother and his wife have interceded for you and brought a number of extenuating circumstances to my attention," he went on, referring to a scroll. "There is the fact that you have chronic pain in your joints, which would probably make it impossible for you to do the work that would be required of you. Your health is also suspect. And they have also informed me that you believed that those soldiers had instructions to take your life, and so you were acting at least partly in self-defense." He put away the scroll and regarded her mildly. "For these reasons, the Fire Lord and I have come up with an alternative punishment for you. Since he proposed most of the details himself, I will let your brother inform you of your options."

With a slight shiver, Azula slowly turned her eyes on Zuko. His face was stern, but not nearly as cold as it had once been. "You have two alternatives, Azula. The choice is up to you." He glanced at her silent guards. "You are exiled from the Fire Nation – you will never set foot on Fire Nation soil again. That much is non-negotiable. The first option is for you to be turned over to the Dai Li to be imprisoned for those twenty-one years. If you survived that, you would then be released." Zuko paused to let his words sink in. Azula's jaw clenched a little. She knew her chances for survival in their hands would be pretty much nil. "The second option is more complicated," he went on, "but will give you more opportunity to improve your lot. This city would become your prison. We will arrange for you to be given an apartment in the Lower Ring, and we will find you a job. King Kuei has already suggested a small restaurant that would suffice. You will go to work, pay your bills, and live quietly. The Dai Li, of course, will watch you at all times. You will remain in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, and will make no attempt to leave it."

Zuko paused again. Azula was staring at him in mingled dismay and disbelief. A _job_ – in some puny little _restaurant – _in the _Lower Ring? _She'd never held some miserable little "job" in her _life! _Azula of the Fire Nation, the conqueror of Ba Sing Se, washing dishes in some hole in the Earth Kingdom? She lowered her head, her eyes narrowing. She couldn't quite decide if prison would be better or worse.

But now Zuko went on. "This arrangement wouldn't necessarily be permanent," he said. "Your employer will send weekly reviews of your performance to King Kuei, and you will report to the king once each quarter to have this evaluated. In a year, I will return to Ba Sing Se, and you will report to the two of us. If you've made enough progress by then, we'll consider upgrading your surroundings. In time, if we decide that you've worked hard enough and learned enough, you might even be able to live in the Upper Ring of the city someday. But that will be up to you." There was another silence as Azula processed this, staring down at the floor. "So, you have a choice. Will it be the Dai Li or the Lower Ring, Azula?"

Azula struggled with her pride. She knew she really didn't have a choice, if she wanted to live. But to let them reduce her to _that..._it was almost harder to bear than being a prisoner. Her jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed. Finally she sighed; her head came up. She looked at Ty Lee, who was watching her anxiously and biting her lip. She looked up at Mai, who was somehow managing to look both concerned and utterly bored at the same time. At last, Azula's gaze met Zuko's. She inhaled deeply. "I will go to the Lower Ring," she murmured, "my lord brother."

A faint smirk twitched his lips. "Very well," he said calmly. "Then, if King Kuei -"

"Please." The soft voice took them all by surprise. Ty Lee blushed as all eyes turned on her; she looked up at Zuko pleadingly. "Can I stay here with her? Please, Zuko. Let me stay."

The Fire Lord scratched his ear. He seemed a little uncomfortable. "That isn't up to me, Ty Lee. You'll have to ask Earth King Kuei. Azula's his prisoner now."

Impulsively, the little acrobat moved to where Azula was and knelt down beside her, putting her arm around her skinny shoulders. Her great gray eyes peered up at the Earth King. "Can I stay with her? Please can I stay here, King Kuei? I promise I won't be any trouble. I'll get my own job and everything. Please?"

King Kuei looked surprised, but he shrugged his shoulders a bit. "I don't see why not," he said. "I would have to consult with my advisors if this is going to be a permanent arrangement, but for the time being, you may stay with her if you wish." He paused. "I think you would have to be under some of the same restrictions as she is, then, Lady Ty Lee...you would be watched..."

"Oh, _that's_ all right." Ty Lee hugged Azula happily, careless of the consequences of her choice. "So long as I can stay."There was more talk after that, hammering out the final and finer details of the arrangement. But throughout the sometimes-difficult discussions, Ty Lee's arm never once left Azula's shoulders.


	74. Chapter 74

The sun was setting over the city of Ba Sing Se. Azula wrapped her cloak around herself and shivered a little; her breath made puffs of white in the frosty air. She didn't go back inside, however. Quietly, she brushed away some of the light dusting of snow beneath her and sat down, gazing up at the darkening sky.

She and Ty Lee had spent the day moving into the home the Earth King had provided for them. It was a tiny little two-room house, more like a hut than anything else. It was situated close to the inner wall of the Lower Ring. As tiny as it was, Azula had to admit that it had a couple of nice features. One was the fact that it was only a ten-minute walk from the little bakery and teahouse where she was evidently now employed. The other was the roof. It was quite flat, and had a trap door and a small flight of steps leading up to it from the main living area. Since they were close to the inner wall of the outer ring of the city, they were higher up than the rest of the Lower Ring, and had a fairly decent view of the city from their roof.

It had been three days since Zuko had presented her with this choice. She supposed that she was starting to get used to the idea of it all. Yesterday had been spent mostly with various and sundry doctors and healers and waterbenders, who had examined her thoroughly. Katara had come and taken a look at Azula's arthritic wrists and ankles. She had performed some strange waterbending ritual, one the former princess had never seen before, Much of the pain had been eased. Even a healer as powerful as Katara wasn't able to completely heal her, though. The waterbender had left her with a supply of liniment to rub on them when they ached.

Some of the doctors had assessed her mental health, too. Azula smirked a bit as she remembered that process. They had asked her many questions, and she'd had to fight to repress the urge to give them outlandish answers for her own amusement. In the end, after many grueling hours of assessment, they had come to a decision. Her physical health would be watched over by two capable Earth Kingdom physicians. Her mental well-being would be monitored on a monthly basis by another Earth Kingdom doctor. All final decisions in the treatment of any mental illness, however, would be left in the hands of the Avatar, who had expressed an interest in being involved.

Azula considered this quietly, stretching out her legs. Aang was...a bit of a puzzle to her, she had to admit. She wasn't sure anymore what she thought of him. At first, he had been just another enemy of her Fire Nation, an opponent to be destroyed. Then he had been the object of some hatred, since it had been his hand that had ripped away her firebending – a thing that had been very precious to her. But now, she wasn't quite certain of him. She didn't trust him, exactly, but...he had helped her. He had. If he hadn't explained her visions to her and taken her with him into the Spirit World, Azula doubted she would ever have regained much of her true sanity. And she never would have let her mother get near her...never would have rested in her arms and been comforted by her. Azula's eyes softened.

She guessed she owed Aang a lot for that, even if it didn't quite erase his debt.

With a quiet sigh, Azula looked down at the paper in her hands. It contained the final conditions of her exile here in Ba Sing Se – the guidelines she would have to abide by, probably for the rest of her life. She'd given them a cursory glance earlier, in between scouring a filthy floor and an hour-long trip to the market to find a small table for their house, but she hadn't really considered them properly yet. In the fading evening light, the former firebender began to read.

_Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai and Lady Ursa of the Fire Nation,_

_At the request of the Fire Lord, and at the good pleasure of Kuei, the King of the Earth Kingdom, you have been permitted to spend your exile in the city of Ba Sing Se. Welcome to our fine city! The following is a list of guidelines that you will be expected to follow during your stay, to ensure that your time here is comfortable. Please note that any failure to comply will be met with the appropriate consequences, of which you have already been apprised._

_By the terms of your exile, you are not permitted to leave the Lower Circle of Ba Sing Se. Rest assured, however, that there are many markets, clothing shops, and other such places in the Outer Circle, and your daily living needs can be fully met here._

_A job has been arranged for you at the Good Fortune Tea Shop and Bakery, run by local businessman Zheng Chow. Mister Chow will be your employer until such a time as you are given another place of employment. He will present weekly evaluations of your job performance to King Kuei, which will be discussed with you at your quarterly meetings with the king. You will be expected to provide for your own physical needs out of your wages._

_A house has been procured for you in the Lower Circle, near your place of employment. It is in a neighborhood with a low crime rate, and should serve you well during your stay in it. You will be provided with a sum of money to furnish it initially. Any further furnishings or renovations must be financed by you out of your job earnings._

_The Earth King is aware that your physical health and mental health are weak. You have been provided with doctors who will care for your needs in this area._

_Your identity is a subject of a sensitive nature for many citizens of the great city of Ba Sing Se. Therefore, you have been provided with a new identity. (Please see the attached brochure which will inform you of the details of this identity.) You will answer to the name of Aza from now on, and will not reveal your true identity to anyone. Please note that any failure to comply with this condition would be considered a major violation of the terms of your exile._

_Additional concessions and arrangements have been made for your companion, Lady Ty Lee, fourth daughter of Lord Chiao Ming of the Fire Nation. She is permitted to live with you, so long as the following conditions are met:_

_i. That she procures her own place of employment;_

_ii. That she leads a life free of any criminal activity, and;_

_iii. That she does not cause you to violate any of the other terms of your exile._

_You will be informed of any changes in the conditions and requirements of your exile. Should you need to contact the people in charge of your exile for any reason, simply hang a garment over the sill of the window of your house that faces the main street, and you will be contacted shortly thereafter by a plainclothes agent of the Dai Li._

_Thank you for your compliance in these matters. We hope that you enjoy your stay in the great City of Ba Sing Se._

_Sincerely,_

_The Bureau of Immigration and Corrections_

_(PS. Please ensure that these papers are thoroughly destroyed once you have committed them to memory. They contain information of a highly sensitive nature.)_

Azula folded up the papers in silence. She had already familiarized herself with the writeup that detailed her new identity. She was (supposedly) a young woman recently exiled from the Fire Nation, owing to the political difficulties of her father. Azula smirked a little. That story was fairly close to the truth, really. Now she would have to learn to answer to her new name. _Aza. Aza. Aza..._

Footsteps approached from behind, and Ty Lee knelt down beside her. "Hey," she said softly. "I made tea. I thought you might be cold up here." She pressed a steaming cup into Azula's hands and slid her arm around her. Her body felt warm, and so did the tea. Azula smiled a bit and sipped at the hot liquid, sighing as it warmed her to the core. It felt good. Ty Lee looked up at the peach-colored horizon, now streaked with wispy golden clouds."It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"If you ignore everything beneath the sky, yes." Azula gave her a sidelong glance. "Well – everything except you, of course."

Ty Lee chuckled and leaned into her, pressing a warm kiss to the side of her neck. "Flattery will get you everywhere, 'Zula," she murmured. "Do you have any more nice things to say about me? I might get very affectionate." Azula shivered as the little acrobat's teeth nipped lightly at her ear.

"My name is Aza now." The former princess tapped a finger against the papers in her hands. "You can't call me by my real name anymore, Ty – not even in private. You know that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just forgot." A crestfallen Ty Lee started to turn away.

"Hey." Azula caught at the arm that was about to leave her shoulders. "I didn't say you could let go, young lady." The little acrobat hesitated, looking back at her. Azula smirked. Leaning in, she kissed Ty Lee tenderly on the lips, sliding her own arm around the gymnast's waist. She felt Ty Lee relax and lean against her. With a soft sigh of satisfaction, the former princess took another sip of her tea and rested her head against the brown one on her shoulder. The two girls watched the shifting colors of the sky in mutual silence.

"You're starting your new job tomorrow, right?" Ty Lee asked after a while.

"Yes. No one has informed me of what exactly I'm going to be doing. But I'm sure that Businessman Chow will have a three-page letter and thirty-seven brochures detailing everything that's expected of me." Azula rolled her eyes. "Gods, but these Earth Kingdom people are pedantic." Ty Lee looked at her quizzically. "Um...scholarly? Wordy? You know – all the paperwork."

"Oh." The little acrobat nodded her understanding. "Yeah, I guess they do kinda seem to like their forms and things. We'll get used to it, I'm sure."

Azula frowned. "I suppose," she muttered.

Ty Lee smiled warmly and nuzzled Azula's neck. "Don't worry. You'll do just fine, baby," she said softly. "You're brave and really smart. You'll be the crown princess of that bakery place in no time flat, you'll see. You've already got everything you'll need."

Quietly, Azula sipped from her steaming cup and looked up at the horizon. Despite her uneasiness about the coming days, she was content. The warmth of her drink felt good, as did the warmth of the little acrobat's body cuddled up beside her. She squeezed Ty Lee's waist and smiled. "I think you're right, Ty," she said quietly. "I do have everything I need."


End file.
